The Good Dirt: Sustainability Explained

In this episode, Zandra Zuraw, founder of Slow Style Home, shares her insights on interior design. Slow Style Home is an interior design coaching platform for people looking to create a beautiful, meaningful home without breaking the bank, hiring a designer, or hurting the planet to get one. Zandra discusses her step-by-step framework, the importance of a vision for your space, and offers tips for decluttering and balancing aesthetics with functionality. Zandra also touches on the broader concept of slow living. She encourages everyone to find a personal and meaningful approach to home decoration and stresses the emotional satisfaction that comes from using and transforming what we already have. Listeners are inspired to appreciate and design their living spaces mindfully, focusing on beauty and personal expression.She's currently writing a book about her Slow Style approach to design, to be released in Spring 2025 .and is also the host of the popular podcast, Slow Style Home. 00:00 Introduction to Slow Style Home 01:23 Zandra Zuraw's Personal Journey 02:17 The Concept of Slow Style 02:54 Navigating Interior Design Challenges 06:37 Creating a Vision for Your Space 19:25 Balancing Sentimentality and Practicality 22:09 The Impact of Disposable Decor 26:18 The Emotional Weight of Objects 26:51 Struggles with Waste and Disposal 30:29 Decluttering Strategies and Challenges 37:18 The Concept of a Slow Home 40:04 Balancing Organization and Livability 46:56 The Importance of Good Dirt 49:17 Final Thoughts and Resources Zandra's Website Slow Style Home Podcast Peter Walsh: Let it Go Tracy McCubbin: Making Space, Clutter Free Monica Leed: Simply Spaced ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🌻 About Lady Farmer: Subscribe to The ALMANAC, a Lady Farmer Newsletter & Community Visit Our Website Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you! Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production. 🌿 The Good Dirt Producers: • Wendy Gray

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. They discuss their backgrounds, how they came to the project, various types of mulch, the significance of topsoil and the role of composting in community engagement. The conversation highlights the community impact of their work repurposing organic materials into beneficial mulch, a product that provides environmental sustainability and circularity into the local economy. The discussion also touches on the concept of slow living and how it relates to their work, culminating in a reflection on the meaning of good dirt and its impact on the environment and local communities. Topics Discussed: ・The beginnings of Detroit Mulch Company ・Sustainable practices in Mulching ・Benefits of Mulch Gardening ・Addressing concerns about tree waste ・Community Impact ・The role of mulch in urban revitalization ・The future of tree waste management ・Encouraging sustainable practices beyond Detroit ・The importance of mulch and compost for top soil ・Composting practices and community engagement ・Embracing slow living and the idea of 'the good dirt' Connect with Brooke and Casey: Detroit Mulch Company Website Instagram: @detroitmulch ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🌻 About Lady Farmer: Subscribe to The ALMANAC, a Lady Farmer Newsletter & Community Visit Our Website Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you! Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production. 🌿 The Good Dirt Producers: • Wendy Gray

In this episode of The Good Dirt, Mary & Emma explore sustainability in the spirits industry with Harrison Holditch of Half Shell Vodka. At just 33 years old, Harrison has pioneered innovative sustainable practices in producing vodka, including using recycled materials and local partnerships. Among Half Shell Vodka's noteworthy achievements is its revolutionary 100% recyclable cardboard bottle made from 94% recycled materials. The discussion covers Harrison's journey, the company’s sustainable practices, and innovations like their unique filtration system using oyster shells and coconut carbon. The episode also highlights the challenges and benefits of adopting sustainable methods in distilling. 00:00 Welcome to The Good Dirt 01:34 Introducing Half Shell Vodka 03:21 Harrison Holditch's Journey 09:11 Sustainability Practices at Half Shell Vodka 17:26 The Innovation of the Paper Bottle 26:05 Sustainability and Glass: A Complex Relationship 27:07 The Global Supply Chain and Carbon Footprint 29:43 Exploring Alternatives: Paper Bottles and Beyond 32:40 Challenges and Innovations in the Spirits Industry 37:48 Living the Slow Life: A Personal Perspective 39:57 Navigating Natural Disasters: Life on the Gulf Coast 41:55 The Good Dirt: What It Means to Us 42:58 Where to Find Half Shell Vodka ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🌻 About Lady Farmer: · Subscribe to The ALMANAC, a Lady Farmer Newsletter & Community · Visit Our Website · Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram · Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you! Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production. 🌿 The Good Dirt Producers: · Wendy Gray

What are more sustainable death practices that we can can consider as alternatives to the expensive and consumptive services offered in the modern funeral industry? 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. Hunter shares his honest emotional personal journey with death, the founding of Endswell and the philosophy behind providing thoughtful, compassionate end-of-life services. Topics Discussed · The Good Death Movement · The Green Burial Movement · Misconceptions About Cremation · The Deal with Spreading Ashes · Death Cafe, Death Doulas, and Death Conferences · End of Life Care with Your Parents · Living with Grief · Neurodegenerative Conditions · The Predatory Nature of the Funeral Industry · The History of the Modern Funeral Industry · Working with Hospice Workers · Understanding Aquamation · Green Burial Movement · Community Involvement · Burying On Your Own Land · Reclaiming Death Rituals Rituals and Eco-Friendly Death Care · Eco-Friendly Death Care Episode Resources: · Listen to The Good Dirt “Episode 65 | Where Nature is Enough: Rethinking Death Practices with Heidi Hannapel of Bluestem Conservation Cemetery · Listen to The Good Dirt “Creating Sustainability in the Death Care Industry with Tom Harries of Earth Funeral” · WorkAway · Final Exit · Read Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond · NPR Article “A plain pine coffin and eco-friendly cremation are the last acts of Desmond Tutu” on Desmond Tutu’s Aquamation · Order of the Good Death Connect with Hunter Beattie: · Website: https://endswellcremation.com · Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/endswellaquamationandgallery/ · Farewell Earth Network: https://farewellearth.org ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🌻 About Lady Farmer: · Subscribe to The ALMANAC, a Lady Farmer Newsletter & Community · Visit Our Website · Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram · Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you! Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production. 🌿 The Good Dirt Producers: · Wendy Gray

Join Mary and Emma as they discuss a slow living Halloween, the second largest consumer season in the US. From the ancient traditions of the Celtic Samhain celebrations, to the modern day spook fest that dominates this time of year, you'll hear 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! Things Mentioned: Zero Waste Candy Alternatives The Scariest Thing About Halloween is the Plastic Waste National Retail Federation Prediction for Halloween Spending in 2022 About Lady Farmer: Our Website @weareladyfarmer on Instagram Join The Lady Farmer ALMANAC Leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you! Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com Original music by John Kingsley. The Good Dirt is a part of the Connectd Podcasts Network. Statements 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.

In this episode, Mary welcomes back Krista Arias and her daughter, Fia, from Tierra Soul, a homestead and learning space in Magdalena, New Mexico. They catch up on their conversation from a year ago, discussing ongoing and new projects at Tierra Soul, such as the community cafe project and plans for their first holistic homesteading festival. They also discuss their signature 8 week holistic homesteading online program,"Lazy Lady Living," which provides an overview of multiple topics such as soulful permaculture, sustainable economy, biodynamics, traditional food, cultivated ecology and more. Tierra Soul is now offering "Lazy Lady Living" at a reduced price. Enroll HERE during their fall sale beginning October 15th! Tierra Soul Website Enroll in Lazy Lady Living for $500 off 00:36 Welcoming Krista and Fia from Tierra Soul 04:34 Updates from Tierra Soul Homestead 09:25 The Evolution of Tierra Soul's Cafe 12:34 Challenges and Philosophies of Running a Cafe 25:50 The Future of Tierra Soul: Events and Gatherings 28:52 Bridging the Gap Between Presenters and Attendees 29:51 Influence of Indigenous Ceremonies 32:10 Holistic Homesteading Festival: Gather and Give 32:22 Introduction to Lazy Lady Living 37:11 The Philosophy Behind Lazy Lady Living 40:59 The Importance of Connection in Farming 45:22 The Feminine Perspective in Permaculture 50:15 The Adaptive Nature of Plants and Earth 53:43 Concluding Thoughts on Slow Living 🌻 About Lady Farmer: · Subscribe to The ALMANAC, a Lady Farmer Newsletter & Community · Visit Our Website · Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram · Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you! Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Lady Farmer 🌿 The Good Dirt Producers: · Wendy Gray

In this episode, Mary & Emma begin their discussion on consumerism by reflecting on a recent social media trend dubbed "underconsumption', and how that idea overlaps with the fundamentals of slow living. They ask the questions, are we drawn to the true ideals of a lifestyle or the visual aesthetics as represented on social media, and how likely are we to feel compelled to "buy" into it due to feelings of lack in our own lives? Mary and Emma also discuss personal vulnerabilities in consumer habits, referencing their own experiences with fashion, skincare, and digital consumption. The conversation addresses the impact of social media on consumer behavior, emphasizing awareness and conscious decision-making in a consumer-driven society. They conclude by encouraging listeners to balance needs and desires within the context of appropriate consumption as part of a slow living lifestyle. 00:00 Introduction to Simple Living 00:51 Life Updates and New Beginnings 02:01 Exploring Conscious Consumerism 02:48 The Trend of Underconsumption 03:56 Media Influence on Consumption 14:37 Personal Vulnerabilities in Consumerism 23:54 Navigating Consumer Habits 27:02 Conclusion and Final Thoughts ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🌻 About Lady Farmer: Subscribe to The ALMANAC, a Lady Farmer Newsletter & Community Visit Our Website Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you! Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Lady Farmer 🌿 The Good Dirt Producers: • Wendy Gray

How do you pursue homesteading while honoring the wildness of the nature around you? The flowers, animals, and flora that live on the land can impact the way you approach your garden. Julie Stonefelt, a full-time park ranger and co-founder of Wild Homestead Living with her husband Kevin, has sought to live off the land while preserving the natural ecosystem of her 2 acre property in the state of Washington. Despite a suburban upbringing, Julie has spent decades honoring a dream she first had with her childhood best friend. Julie is also a breast cancer survivor, and shares her compelling story of discovery and resilience on her journey "from cancer to country living." Her goal is to support others in moving in the direction of a more sustainable lifestyle, regardless of their location, while understanding and respecting the wildness around us all. Julia emphasizes respecting nature in homesteading, creating resilient, conflict-free gardens, and forming symbiotic relationships with wildlife. Topics Discussed · Experiencing Fresh Food · Being a Full Time Park Ranger · Enforcement Rangers vs Interpretive Rangers · Having a Spouse with Type 1 Diabetes · Surviving Breast Cancer · Reviving Old Dreams · Living in Snoqualmie Valley · Gardening with Nature in Mind · The Human-Animal-Nature Connection · Holding Space for Animal’s Natural Habitats · Beavers, Bears, and Coyotes · Creating Your Dream Life · Dealing with Envy Towards Others · Do You Need to Grow all Your Own Food to be a Homesteader? · Challenges of Being an Online Creator · Facing Your Grief · Starting Wild Homestead Living · Reaching Harmony with Wildlife · Resources and Courses for Homesteading · Cancer Journey and Its Impact on Julie’s Approach to Homesteading Episode Resources: · Listen to The Good Dirt “166. The Human-Animal Connection with Alison Zak, author of "Wild Asana" · Read "Wild Asana: Animals, Yoga, and Connecting Our Practice to the Natural World" by Alison Zak · Hawthorn Farm · Read "Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest" by Suzanne Simard · Read "The New Organic Grower: A Master's Manual of Tools and Techniques for the Home and Market Gardener" by Eliot Coleman Connect with Julie Stonefelt: · Website: https://wildhomesteadliving.com · Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildhomesteadliving/ · Courses: https://courses.wildhomesteadliving.com/connect ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🌻 About Lady Farmer: · Subscribe to The ALMANAC, a Lady Farmer Newsletter & Community · Visit Our Website · Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram · Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you! Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production. 🌿 The Good Dirt Producers: · Wendy Gray

In the second of this episode series, Emma and Mary discuss some obstacles that may come up in trying to live more slowly and sustainably, as well as addressing a few frequently asked questions. They discuss how slow living often seems so out of reach to many of us given all of the distractions of modern life, and offer ways to make it seem a little more accessible. They also talk about how the concept of convenience often gets in the way of more conscious living, giving examples of some practices that have worked in their own lives and offering ideas they've gotten from others as well. Mary and Emma also respond to the idea that slow living is expensive, and therefore not an option for many. As always, the conversation will help you reflect on the possibilities that are already available to you, and encourage those small shifts that make all the difference! 🌻 About Lady Farmer: · Subscribe to The ALMANAC, a Lady Farmer Newsletter & Community · Visit Our Website The Lady Farmer Guide to Slow Living Episodes mentioned: Episode # 110 Designing the Life of Your Dreams with Stephanie O'Dea Episode #150 One Family's Journey in Sustainable Living with Jamilla Edwards Episode # 183 Manifesting the Life You Want with Stephanie O'Dea Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you! Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production. 🌿 The Good Dirt Producers: · Wendy Gray

Chwynyn Vaughan is the creator of Slow Botanicals, and for over 30 years she has been blending science and wise woman wisdom to create a sustainable lifestyle. With her background in midwifery and conventional healthcare, Chwynyn found a deep love for botanicals and plants that prompted her to create her fully certified-organic skincare line. Full of fresh ingredients and essential oils, Chwynyn takes advantage of her herbal knowledge to make botanical skin creams, shampoos, shave soaps, and bars that all come from her organic regenerative garden. Chwynyn discusses her lifestyle and business, as well as the quarter-acre plot where she lives along with her husband and children, taking inspiration from the earth and seasonal living. Use Code “GOODDIRT” to get 10% off at Slow Botanicals! Topics Discussed · Growing Your Own Herbs · Creating High-Quality Organic Skincare · Living in a Commune · Herbal Medicine · Being a Midwife · The Gardening Industry · The Life Cycle of a Garden · Starting Seeds and Peat-Free Potting Mix · Favorite Natural Skincare Products · Collagenase · Manufacturing Certified Organic Products · Packaging Products sustainably · Protecting your Peace · Gardening Techniques and Philosophy · The Journey to Herbal Medicine and Skincare · Creating a Personal Connection with Your Garden Episode Resources: · Floret Flower Farm · Back to the Roots Organic All-Purpose Peat-free Premium Potting Mix Connect with Chwynyn Vaughan · Website: slowbotanicals.com · Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slow.botanicals/?hl=en · Threads: https://www.threads.net/@slow.botanicals?xmt=AQGzClLZvasxn2Du8hsDGSaOiv4nKM46-NJus9dC2XAkjR8 · Newsletter: https://slowbotanicals.ck.page · Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chwynyn-vaughan-2171a1281? ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🌻 About Lady Farmer: · Subscribe to The ALMANAC, a Lady Farmer Newsletter & Community · Visit Our Website · Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram · Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you! Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production. 🌿 The Good Dirt Producers: · Wendy Gray

In the first of this bonus episode series, Emma and Mary discuss the concept and meaning of slow living. Using the quote from The Lady Farmer Guide to Slow Living, they discuss slow living in terms of making conscious choices in how we live our lives, paying attention to how we spend our time, money, and resources, and stepping back from industrialized systems that have come to provide our daily needs. They also highlight the importance of observing our own consumer habits and how they intersect with our quality of life. The conversation encourages questioning, reflection, and making small shifts towards a more sustainable and intentional lifestyle. A Sampling of Related Episodes: Episode 88: Conscious Clothing Episode 86: Loving the World Through Simple Living with Danielle Alvarado of Sustainably Kind Living Episode 186: Grow Your Own Food with Nicky and Dave Schauder of Permaculture Gardens 🌻 About Lady Farmer: · Subscribe to The ALMANAC, a Lady Farmer Newsletter & Community · Visit Our Website The Lady Farmer Guide to Slow Living · Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram · Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you! Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production. 🌿 The Good Dirt Producers: · Wendy Gray

Alexia Allen is a suburban homesteader. She and her husband Daniel are transforming their own corner of suburbia into a permaculture paradise. They spent all of 2017 doing a hand harvested food challenge, which meant they were eating only hand harvested food right down to salt from the ocean. Daniel and Alexia are long time educators with a passion for authentic earth based skills. As Suburbia grew up around them, it made sense to share these skills with people eager to learn. In this conversation with Alexia, we hear about the organic growth of their community, their experience with the hand harvested food challenge, and the importance of fostering nature connection through personal grounding practices and educational programs. With help from an amazing "farm-ily, the small community of people that live and work together on the homestead, and a lively crew of program helpers, Hawthorn Farm has offered learning opportunities for the past 15 years. Topics Discussed · Alexia's Journey to Homesteading · Multigenerational Communal Living · Balancing Public and Private Spaces · Age Diversity · Suburban Living · Dealing with the Perception of Time · Social Ecology · The Underappreciation of Farming · Making Money as a Homesteader · Being a “Farm Grandma” · Nurturing Healthy, Happy Humans · Lifelong Educators · The Ups and Downs of Intentional Community · Grounding Practice — All You Have to do is Sit! · The Hand Harvested Food Challenge · Consistency over Decades · Allowing Change · Reconnecting with Your Environment · Finding Your Strengths and Leaning on Others for Theirs Episode Resources: · Listen to The Good Dirt “191. Paul Hawken on Carbon, Climate and Connection” · Nature Connection Mentors · Wilderness Connection School Connect with Alexia Allen: · Website: https://www.hawthornfarm.org · Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hawthornfarm/?hl=en · Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hawthornfarmheals/ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🌻 About Lady Farmer: · Subscribe to The ALMANAC, a Lady Farmer Newsletter & Community · Visit Our Website · Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram · Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you! Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production. 🌿 The Good Dirt Producers: · Wendy Gray

This episode originally aired on August 23, 2022. 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 & 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: Episode 135 with Wisdom Supply Co. Michael Pollan, author of In Defense of Food - An Eater's Manifesto Lady Farmer Marketplace Wool Lunchbox Jute Sandwich Bag 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. Our Website @weareladyfarmer on Instagram Join 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.com Original music by John Kingsley @jkingsley1026

Ellen Gordon of the Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve in Maryland is an environmental activist spearheading an effort to help transition local farmland to regenerative farming practices. She joins Mary in this episode to discuss the benefits of regenerative farming, including the improvement of soil health, enhancing biodiversity, reducing costs and sequestering carbon. Ellen shares her journey from studying biology and working in ocean and coastal issues to her involvement with a local nonprofit and becoming an advocate for sustainable farming methods. The conversation also explores the challenges and rewards of regenerative agriculture and the importance of reconnecting with indigenous farming practices, the need to change the way we view and interact with the land, and the potential of regenerative agriculture in the mitigation of climate change. Topics Discussed · Sustainable Farming · Regenerative Agriculture · The Importance of Regenerative Agriculture · Challenges and Resistance in Transitioning to Regenerative Farming · Education on Sustainable Practice · Green Revolution · How to Grow New Soil · The Value of Biodiversity · Creating Resilient Food Systems · From Ocean Studies to Regenerative Farming · The Difficulties of Open Land · Indigenous Practices · Modern Hurdles to Farming · Supporting Healthy Soil, Water, and Air · Handling Resistance to Change · Plans for the Future Episode Resources: · The Montgomery County Maryland Agriculture Reserve · Sugarloaf Citizens Association · The Montgomery Countryside Alliance · Read "Dirt to Soil: One Family's Journey Into Regenerative Agriculture" by Gabe Brown · Rockland’s Farm Winery · White Oak Pastures Connect with Elle Gordon: · Website: The Montgomery County Maryland Agriculture Reserve ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🌻 About Lady Farmer: · Subscribe to The ALMANAC, a Lady Farmer Newsletter & Community · Visit Our Website · Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram · Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you! Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production. 🌿 The Good Dirt Producers: · Wendy Gray

Heidi is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Austin, Texas. She works in multiple media including clay and watercolor, striking a balance between classical and intuitive painting. For the past 10 years, she has sought to reduce the waste from art supplies in her own work by creating dyes that use the Earth’s soil, insects, and plants. She discusses her journey of learning about natural pigments, her artistic process, and the influences of science and nature on her work. We explore the intersection of art, environmental stewardship and education, especially as it comes to Heidi's commitment to sustainability and her efforts to inspire others to connect with the natural world. Learn to celebrate the peaceful and messy aspects of the natural world with Heidi, so you can also celebrate those same aspects in yourself. Topics Discussed · Oil and Acrylic Paints · Being a Multidisciplinary Artist · Paint in the Past · The Ingredients in Paint · Heidi's Journey to Natural Paints · The Art of Making Natural Paints · Foraging and Creating Paints · Challenges and Discoveries in Paint Making · Heidi's Artistic Background and Inspirations · Environmental Advocacy Through Art · Community Reactions and HOA Challenges · Creative Projects and Future Plans · Collecting and Painting with Ashes and Biochar · Exploring Soil Colors · Art Supplies and Environmental Impact · Composting Adventures · Touch Grass Movement · Soil Science · Where Science and Art Intersect Episode Resources: · Earth Native Wilderness School · The Art of Soil · Listen to The Good Dirt “138. The Urgent Need for Restorative Gardening with Mary Reynolds” · Terry Tempest Williams · Listen to The Good Dirt “199. Coming to our Senses with Author and Retreat Leader Leah Rampy” Connect with Heidi Lowell: · Website: https://heidilowell.art · Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heidilowellart/ · Links: https://linktr.ee/heidilowellart ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🌻 About Lady Farmer: · Subscribe to The ALMANAC, a Lady Farmer Newsletter & Community · Visit Our Website · Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram · Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you! Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production. 🌿 The Good Dirt Producers: · Wendy Gray

Brittany Felton is a writer, editor, producer, baker, crafter, restauranteur, and host of the “Yeah, I’d Hang Out with Her” Podcast. Her mother and Mary have been friends since the 90's and participated in an early Artist’s Way group together. Brittany’s connection with Lady Farmer led her to invite Mary and Emma onto the podcast, and today we're sharing that interview here with all of you. You’ll hear all about Mary and Emma’s deep-seated connection to the land, their journey towards a more sustainable lifestyle and the inspiration for Lady Farmer. Mary shares her long quest to find the land she now calls home and some glimpses into the writing of “The Lady Farmer Guide to Slow Living”. Meanwhile, Emma recounts her experience in creative freelancing and how it ultimately led to the Lady Farmer initiative. This episode encapsulates the essence of Lady Farmer, highlighting its evolution from a clothing line to a broader community advocating for slower, more intentional living. Topics Discussed · Introduction to the Podcast · Meet the Hosts: Mary and Emma · Brittany's Backstory and Connection · Mary's Origin Story · Emma's Journey to Lady Farmer · The Birth of Lady Farmer · The Magic of the Farm · Understanding Slow Living · Consumer Habits and Sustainability · The Pandemic's Impact on Slow Living · The Lady Farmer Guide to Slow Living · Sustainable Fashion and Climate Change · The Good Dirt Podcast · Community and Support Systems · Personal Slow Living Journeys · Daily Routines and Reflections · Mary & Emma’s Creative Pursuits Episode Resources: · “Yeah, I’d Hang Out with Her” Podcast · Read “The Artist's Way: 30th Anniversary Edition” by Julia Cameron · Read “The Lady Farmer Guide to Slow Living” by Mary E. Kingsley Connect with Brittnay Felton: · Website: https://www.brittanyfelton.com/myfilms · Instagram @brittfelt: https://www.instagram.com/brittfelt/?img_index=1 · Substack: https://brittanyfelton.substack.com/ · Links: https://linktr.ee/brittanyfelton ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🌻 About Lady Farmer: · Subscribe to The ALMANAC, a Lady Farmer Newsletter & Community · Visit Our Website · Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram · Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you! Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production. 🌿 The Good Dirt Producers: · Wendy Gray

Natalie Leon is a British Japanologist with a Master’s Degree in Japanese Studies who has dedicated her life and career to sharing Japanese culture with the world and with the United Kingdom. Her passion lies in seasonality, and celebrating every day. She recently published “The Japanese Art of Living Seasonally” which is her love letter to seasonal living in Japan. Natalie shares her deep passion for Japanese culture, a journey that began with a childhood fascination with a kimono. The conversation explores various aspects of seasonality in Japan, such as the concept of 'shun' (eating what's in season), 'kisetsukan' (awareness of the seasons), and 'kasane' (color layering). Natalie also delves into the folklore and spirituality of Japan, illustrating how these traditions are interwoven with everyday life. If you enjoy this episode, Natalie's new book, “The Japanese Art of Living Seasonally: An Invitation to Celebrate Every Day” is out now and serves as a loving invitation to incorporate these enriching practices into our daily lives. Topics Discussed · Japanology · Seasonality · The unique · Kimonos, Tea Ceremony, Matsuri, and other Annual Ritual Festivals · Japanese Textiles & Symbolism · The Idea of Vintage · Art & The Connection and Elevation of Nature · John Ruskin the Art Critic · The Mingei Art Movement · William Morris Designs · Kisetsukan (季節感) · Shun (旬) · Takanoko / Bamboo Shoots · Western Culture’s Impact on Japan · Kasane no Irome (襲の色目) · The Significance of Cherry Blossoms · Dealing with Rituals, Spirituality, and the Supernatural · Shintoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism · The 4 Japanese Seasonal Goddesses · The Climate & Ecosystem of Japan · Forest Bathing in Yakashima · Marie Kondo & Minimalist, Zero-Waste Culture · Furoshiki (風呂敷) · Kamikatsu - Japan’s Zero Waste Town Episode Resources: · Read “The Japanese Art of Living Seasonally: An Invitation to Celebrate Every Day” by Natalie Leon Connect with Natalie Leon: · Website: https://www.natalie-leon.co.uk/ · Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_natalie_leon/ · Newsletter: https://natalieleon.substack.com · Links: https://linktr.ee/sakura_sister_ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🌻 About Lady Farmer: · Subscribe to The ALMANAC, a Lady Farmer Newsletter & Community · Visit Our Website · Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram · Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you! Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production. 🌿 The Good Dirt Producers: · Wendy Gray

This episode originally aired on November 4th, 2022. 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. Speaking to us from Melbourne, Australia, Claire is a writer, speaker, barefoot explorer, rewilding facilitator, and founder of Nature’s Apprentice, a platform for education and guidance in rewilding our souls and the planet. For the last 15 years, Claire has been facilitating individuals in ancestral earth skills, deep ecology, ecopsychology, soul-centric nature-based practice, village building, dance, ceremony, and contemporary wilderness rites-of-passage. Claire is the author of the memoir, My Year Without Matches, which tells the story of her year living wild – and the recently released memoir Rewilding the Urban Soul exploring how we might embody wild consciousness even while living in the setting of a city. Topics Covered: Rewilding as a new human movement Cultivation of a "Wild Mind" Claire's childhood and background in the environmental movement  How Claire's introduction to primitive earth skills led her more deeply into the human nature relationship  Richard Lou The Last Child in the Woods Vitamin N (Nature)  Tom Brown's Tracker School in New Jersey Australia's first Independent Wilderness Studies Program Claire's one-year self-initiated deep nature immersion The sacred order of survival Bill Plotkin Claire's emergence from her immersion, and sharing the immersion experience with the world Nature's Apprentice Rewilding the Urban Soul - Claire Dunn My Year Without Matches Jon Young's Core Routines of Nature Common threads of people who come to Claire for instruction What is a vision quest?  The urgency of climate change Bringing back the species of the wild human Active Hope by Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone Connect with Claire: Her website, naturesapprentice.com.au/ Claire's Books: Rewilding the Urban Soul My Year Without Matches Follow her on Instagram @_natures_apprentice_ Claire's Facebook 🌻 About Lady Farmer: Subscribe to The ALMANAC, a Lady Farmer Newsletter & Community Visit Our Website Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you! Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production. 🌿 The Good Dirt Producers: • Wendy Gray

Angela Ferraro Fanning built and runs the Axe and Root Homestead in New Jersey. After suffering from postpartum depression, Angela wanted to remove herself from modern day hustle culture and return to nature, growing as much of her own food as possible. She grew from her own private garden to a fully functioning farm, and shares the empowerment that comes along with homesteading with our audience today. Sitting down with Emma and Mary in this follow-up to her original episode “Homesteading is What You Make It”, we catch up with Angela’s progress in running her farm a few years later after she was certified as a permaculturist by Cornell University. Angela shares insights about the evolution of her farm, managing a variety of plants and animals, and implementing permaculture principles into her lifestyle. She talks about publishing her books “The Sustainable Homestead” and the “Little Homesteader” series , growing protein-rich crops as a vegetarian, and raising a family on a farm. She leaves us all with why she believes it is vitally important to remember the legacy we leave for the people who take over the land after we’re gone. Topics Discussed · Eco-friendly Permaculture Homesteading · Maintaining Geese, Ducks, Apiary, Sheep, Orchard, and Garden · Being a Vegetarian Homesteader · Leaving Graphic Design and Web Design for Nature · Food Allergies & Pesticide Pain · Pros and Cons of Eating According to the Season · Compromises for Family · Finding a Flexible Sustainability Sustain that Works For YOUR Lifestyle · Mary’s Raspberry Story · Preserving Your Food · A Mugwort Invasion · Growing Strawberries · Working with Horses · Raising Kids on a Farm · Spending Time Outdoors · Compromises, Saltwater Pools, and Honeybees · Cultural Shifts Post-Pandemic · Writing “The Sustainable Homestead: Create a Thriving Permaculture Ecosystem with Your Garden, Animals, and Land" by Angela Ferraro-Fanning · The Little Homesteader Books · Seitan · Growing Beans, Garbanzos, and Quinoa · Impact of COVID on Homesteading Episode Resources: · Listen to The Good Dirt “Homesteading is What You Make It with Angela Ferraro Fanning of Axe & Root Homestead” · Listen to The Good Dirt “Homesteading is a Mindset with Angela Ferraro Fanning” · Read Angela’s Books including “The Sustainable Homestead”, “The Harvest Table”, “Design for Change”, and the “Little Homesteader” series · Listen to Vox Media’s “Today Explained: Honey, We Saved the Bees” Connect with Angela : · Axe & Root Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/axeandroothomestead/ · Website: https://www.axeandroothomestead.com · Angela’s Photography Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angferrarofanning_photography/ · The HOMESTEADucation Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/homesteaducation/id1593301801 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🌻 About Lady Farmer: · Subscribe to The ALMANAC, a Lady Farmer Newsletter & Community · Visit Our Website · Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram · Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you! Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production. 🌿 The Good Dirt Producers: · Wendy Gray

In this special episode, Emma and Mary are catching up with their first guest ever featured on the podcast, Amy DuFault. A writer on sustainable textiles for 15 years, Amy has dedicated her next chapter to reconnecting with the roots of her home on Cape Cod. Amy brings us along from her career in various aspects of sustainability in fashion and textiles to her current focus on water quality. She has dedicated her next chapter to reconnecting with the roots of her home on Cape Cod and is now working as communications director at the Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center.  You will hear about Amy's work with growing natural dye plants in wastewater and innovative solutions for water sustainability. Finding her “why” was key to Amy’s journey as her drive to heal the earth is directly tied to her late father's environmental awareness, and a deep longing for the return of the environment she remembers as a child. Topics Discussed · Fibershed · The “Why” Behind Your Sustainability · Your Personal Toolkit & How to Use it to Change · Sustainable Fabrics and Clothing Practices · Determining Your Value System · Working with the Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Tech Center · The Fear Around Eco-conscious Businesses · The Umbrella of Sustainability · Where Our Clothing’s Color Comes From · Natural Dye Farmers · The Priceless Value of Waters · Sanitation Practices · Experiments for Optimal Flower Growing · NOFA: Northeast Organic Farming Association · Septic Tank Issues · Saltwater Intrusion · Exploring Wastewater Fertilization · Revitalizing Septic Systems and Destroyed Bodies of Water · The Cape Cod AquiFund · Pasteurized Urine · Restoring Your Home · Eco-grief for the Way the Environment Was · Government Support and Funding · Water Quality · Preserving Our Ground Water Episode Resources: · Listen to The Good Dirt’s 1st Episode with Amy DuFault · PROJECT: Wastewater’s Impacts On Natural Dye Plant Growth & Color · Botanical Colors · Feedback Friday Videos · Read “The Three Ages of Water: Prehistoric Past, Imperiled Present, and a Hope for the Future” by Peter Gleick · The Rich Earth Institute · Read "Everybody Poops!" by Justine Avery · Read "Everybody Pees!" by Justine Avery Connect with Amy DuFault: · Website: amydufault.com · Instagram: @amytropolis · Links: https://linktr.ee/amytropolis · Southeastern New England Fibershed ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🌻 About Lady Farmer: · Subscribe to The ALMANAC, a Lady Farmer Newsletter & Community · Visit Our Website · Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram · Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you! Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production. 🌿 The Good Dirt Producers: · Wendy Gray