150. One Family's Journey in Sustainable Living with Jamila Edwards of Life's Flowers Coffeehouse & Marketplace

Jamila Edwards, a long-time listener and fan of The Good Dirt podcast, joins Mary and Emma to talk about how slow living has transformed her life. After sending an email about convenience and sustainable living to the show, Jamila was invited onto the podcast to share her 15-year journey from working in the coffee industry to creating her own family-owned business, the Life's Flowers Coffeehouse & Marketplace, with her husband Eric and their blended family. Having observed massive amounts of waste in the food industry over the years, Jamila aimed to create a package-free, convenient, nature-conscious business to offer everyone the opportunity to transition to a low-waste household. She focuses on creating a positive environmental footprint while providing food justice to all at an affordable price point. In this episode, Mary, Emma, and Jamila discuss motherhood, minimalism, zero waste, and how small businesses can help us reconnect with nature.

Topics Discussed

• No Waste During the Season of Picnics

• What Does "Convenience" Actually Mean?

• Survival or Choice

• Waste in the Food Industry

• Zero Waste Living

• Motherhood, Moving, and Feeling that Sustainability was Impossible

• Minimalism

• Reconnecting with Our Place in Nature

• The African Diaspora & The Connection to the Earth

• Figuring Out a Meal Plan for the Family

• How Small Businesses Can Help Cut Down On Waste

• The Cost of Providing Zero Waste Packaging

• Taking Inventory of Household Items

• The Problem with the Term "Throw Away"

• What We're Leaving Behind for Future Generations

• Passing Down Sustainable Thinking to Jamila's Kids

• Keeping Food in Temp

• Working with the Health Department & Satisfying Regulations

• Finding Investors & Customers Who Believe in a Sustainable Start-Up

• Food Justice & Food Deserts

• Farmer's Market Accessibility

Episode Resources:

•Listen to The Good Dirt "Attainable Sustainability with Stephanie Miller, Author of Zero Waste Living the 80/20 Way"

•Listen to The Good Dirt "Smart Aravind on the Story of Stuff, The Plastic Revolution, and Systemic Policy Change"

•Listen to The Good Dirt "Growing Access: Modeling a Community Based Food system with Laurell Simms of Urban Growers Collective"

•Zero Waste Living, the 80/20 Way: The Busy Person's Guide to a Lighter Footprint by Stephanie J. Miller

•The Good Ancestor: A Radical Prescription for Long-Term Thinking by Roman Krznaric

•The Modern Milkman

Connect with Jamila Edwards:

• Life's Flower Market Website: https://www.lifesflowermarket.com/about

• Life's Flower Farm Blog: https://www.lifesflowermarket.com/blog

• Instagram: Follow Life's Flower Farm on IG @lifesflowerfarm & Life's Flower Coffeehouse & Marketplace on IG @lifesflowermarket

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lifesflowerfarm

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🌻 About Lady Farmer:

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•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.

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