The Good Dirt: Sustainability Explained

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 WebsiteEnroll in Lazy Lady Living for $500 off 00:36 Welcoming Krista and Fia from Tierra Soul04:34 Updates from Tierra Soul Homestead09:25 The Evolution of Tierra Soul's Cafe12:34 Challenges and Philosophies of Running a Cafe25:50 The Future of Tierra Soul: Events and Gatherings28:52 Bridging the Gap Between Presenters and Attendees29:51 Influence of Indigenous Ceremonies32:10 Holistic Homesteading Festival: Gather and Give32:22 Introduction to Lazy Lady Living37:11 The Philosophy Behind Lazy Lady Living40:59 The Importance of Connection in Farming45:22 The Feminine Perspective in Permaculture50:15 The Adaptive Nature of Plants and Earth53:43 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 Living00:51 Life Updates and New Beginnings02:01 Exploring Conscious Consumerism02:48 The Trend of Underconsumption03:56 Media Influence on Consumption14:37 Personal Vulnerabilities in Consumerism23:54 Navigating Consumer Habits27:02 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 HomesteadingEpisode 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 ColemanConnect 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 WebsiteThe Lady Farmer Guide to Slow LivingEpisodes mentioned:Episode # 110 Designing the Life of Your Dreams with Stephanie O'Dea Episode #150 One Family's Journey in Sustainable Living with Jamilla EdwardsEpisode # 183 Manifesting the Life You Want with Stephanie O'DeaFollow @weareladyfarmer on InstagramEmail 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 GardenEpisode Resources:· Floret Flower Farm· Back to the Roots Organic All-Purpose Peat-free Premium Potting MixConnect 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 WebsiteThe 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 TheirsEpisode Resources:· Listen to The Good Dirt “191. Paul Hawken on Carbon, Climate and Connection”· Nature Connection Mentors· Wilderness Connection SchoolConnect 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 FutureEpisode 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 PasturesConnect 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 IntersectEpisode 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