Doomer Optimism

On one of the most inspiring episodes of Doomer Optimism, Ashley Colby (@RizomaSchool) and Willow Liana (@willlowthewhisp) speak with the father of Kevin Cooper (AKA Cole Summers) about his late son's work. They discuss Cole's plans and aspirations for sustainably developing the farmland where he lived to preserve the water table. Cole passed away at aged 14, leaving a huge legacy behind him. He had some of the most ambitious plans for business development and sustainable agriculture that you'll ever hear of. The hope of this episode is to inspire others to continue the work he left behind him. You can donate to help Cole's family rebuild their lives here:   https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-kevin-coopers-family You can purchase Cole's autobiography here. About Willow Liana Willow is a professional social butterfly and mother of a wee babe whom she is raising in the Canadian countryside. About Ashley Colby Ashley is an Environmental Sociologist who studied at Washington State University, the department that founded the subdiscipline. She's interested in and passionate about the myriad creative ways in which people are forming new social worlds in resistance to the failures of late capitalism and resultant climate disasters. I am a qualitative researcher so I tend to focus on the informal spaces of innovation. She's the founder of Rizoma Field School and Rizoma Foundation.

On this episode, Ashley Colby (@RizomaSchool) teams up with Nathan Gates (@TornadoNate) to co-host an intriguing conversation about Distributism with Chris Smaje (@csmaje) and Sean Domencic (@tradtom), co-founder of Tradistae. About Sean Domencic Sean Domencic is the director of Tradistae, a contributing author at New Polity, and a maintenance man who speaks and writes about Distributism and Catholic Social Teaching. He and his wife live in community at Holy Family Catholic Worker in Lancaster, PA. About Chris Smaje Chris Smaje has coworked a small farm in Somerset, southwest England, for the last 17 years. Previously, he was a university-based social scientist, working in the Department of Sociology at the University of Surrey and the Department of Anthropology at Goldsmiths College on aspects of social policy, social identities and the environment. Since switching focus to the practice and politics of agroecology, he's written for various publications, such as The Land , Dark Mountain , Permaculture magazine and Statistics Views, as well as academic journals such as Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems and the Journal of Consumer Culture . Smaje writes the blog Small Farm Future, is a featured author at www.resilience.org and a current director of the Ecological Land Co-op. Chris' latest book is: A Small Farm Future: Making the Case for a Society Built Around Local Economies, Self-Provisioning, Agricultural Diversity, and a Shared Earth. About Nathan Gates Nathan is a licensed psychotherapist and co-host of Altered States of Context, a podcast about psychedelics, science and psychotherapy. He also practices regenerative ranching and writes from his family's farm in rural west-central Illinois. About Ashley Colby Ashley is an Environmental Sociologist who studied at Washington State University, the department that founded the subdiscipline. She's interested in and passionate about the myriad creative ways in which people are forming new social worlds in resistance to the failures of late capitalism and resultant climate disasters. I am a qualitative researcher so I tend to focus on the informal spaces of innovation. She's the founder of Rizoma Field School and Rizoma Foundation.

On this episode of Doomer Optimism, the tables turn and Dave of Aspiring Peasant (@aspiringpeasant) fame interviews occasional DO host, and podcast co-founder, Tres Crow (@dogeatcrow) about his work with Roots Down and how he came to be a Doomer Optimist. About Tres Crow Tres is a writer, podcast host, occasional thinker, and the President and co-owner of Roots Down, an environmental education startup that's revolutionizing the landscaping industry from one of the dirtiest industries in the US to a powerful force for positive change. Keep up with the world of Roots Down by downloading the free app, available for iPhone and Android. About Aspiring Peasant Still none of your business.

On this episode of Doomer Optimism, first-time host Donald Antenen (@riversofeurope) and Ashley Colby (@RizomaSchool) interview associate English professor and editor of Front Porch Republic, Jeff Bilbro (@jeff_bilbro). Topics range from Jeff's experiences living in a remote part of Washington state to his work at Front Porch Republic. About Jeff Bilbro Jeffrey Bilbro is an Associate Professor of English at Grove City College. He grew up in the mountainous state of Washington and earned his B.A. in Writing and Literature from George Fox University in Oregon and his Ph.D. in English from Baylor University. His books include Reading the Times: A Literary and Theological Inquiry into the News, Loving God’s Wildness: The Christian Roots of Ecological Ethics in American Literature, Wendell Berry and Higher Education: Cultivating Virtues of Place (written with Jack Baker), and Virtues of Renewal: Wendell Berry’s Sustainable Forms. About Donald Antenen Donald Antenen lives with his wife and daughters in the Pacific Northwest. He is translating Genesis: Beginning: a Verse Translation of Genesis. About Ashley Colby Ashley is an Environmental Sociologist who studied at Washington State University, the department that founded the subdiscipline. She's interested in and passionate about the myriad creative ways in which people are forming new social worlds in resistance to the failures of late capitalism and resultant climate disasters. I am a qualitative researcher so I tend to focus on the informal spaces of innovation. She's the founder of Rizoma Field School and Rizoma Foundation.

Episode 70 of Doomer Optimism kicks off with Jason Snyder (@cognazor) introducing first-time host Ariel Greenwood (@greenwoodae) before launching into a discussion on ecological restoration with cattle rancher Jonathan Gay of Freestone Ranch. About Jonathan Gay Jonathan focuses on ranch infrastructure and restoration projects. He sees the land with its soils, plants, microbes, fungi and animals as a living entity that deserves care and tending. After a career writing software, he appreciates the chance to be working outside and seeing the growing physical results of his efforts. About Ariel Greenwood Ariel grew up unschooled in the rural wilds of North Carolina and began farming at 16. In college, she studied agroecology and psychology while working with community gardens and private farms. She managed livestock in Northern California for 4 1/2 years, primarily at Pepperwood Preserve and Freestone Ranch in the North Bay region, and since 2018 she has been working in the intermountain west with Triangle P Cattle Company and as co-owner of Grass Nomads LLC, a land and livestock management and consulting company. She also serves as founding board member & treasurer for Contra Viento Journal, an art & literature journal about rangelands, and on the board of Holistic Management International. Her work is seasonal; in the summers she manages yearlings in Montana and the rest of the time she works with cows on rangeland in Northeastern New Mexico. About Jason Snyder Metamodern localist | homesteading, permaculture, bioregional regeneration | meditation, self inquiry, embodied cognition | PhD from Michigan State University, faculty Appalachian State University.

This episode of Doomer Optimism has Ashley Colby (@RizomaSchool) discussing voluntary poverty with Malcolm Schluenderfritz (@HAYPpodcast), the host of Happy Are You Poor, a blog and podcast dedicated to discussing radical Christian community as a means of evangelization. About Malcolm Schluenderfritz Malcolm Schluenderfritz hosts Happy Are You Poor, a blog and podcast dedicated to discussing radical Christian community as a means of evangelization. He works as a graphic design assistant and a horticulturalist in Littleton, CO. About Ashley Colby Ashley is an Environmental Sociologist who studied at Washington State University, the department that founded the subdiscipline. She's interested in and passionate about the myriad creative ways in which people are forming new social worlds in resistance to the failures of late capitalism and resultant climate disasters. I am a qualitative researcher so I tend to focus on the informal spaces of innovation. She's the founder of Rizoma Field School and Rizoma Foundation.

On episode 68, Ashley Colby (@RizomaSchool) and Josh Kearns (@HillbillyNarnia) to interview writer and historical geopolitics specialist, Chris Mott (@ChrisDMott), about his recent white paper "Woke Imperium: The Coming Confluence Between Social Justice and Neoconservatism". Show note: Ashley's anecdote about Uruguay was about Cavani, not Suarez. About Chris Mott Chris Mott is an historical geopolitics specialist, and Research Fellow at Institute for Peace & Diplomacy . He's the author of 'The Formless Empire'. Allergic to moralism. About Ashley Colby Ashley is an Environmental Sociologist who studied at Washington State University, the department that founded the subdiscipline. She's interested in and passionate about the myriad creative ways in which people are forming new social worlds in resistance to the failures of late capitalism and resultant climate disasters. I am a qualitative researcher so I tend to focus on the informal spaces of innovation. She's the founder of Rizoma Field School and Rizoma Foundation. About Dr. Josh Kearns Josh is a born-n-bred Appalachian and a native of West-By-God-Virginia and damn proud of it. He studied chemistry and environmental engineering at Clemson (BS), biogeochemistry at Berkeley (MS), and environmental engineering at CU-Boulder (PhD). He's spent years bumming around rural and remote communities in Thailand, Burma/Myanmar, India, Nepal, Ladakh, Sri Lanka, and Mexico, and generally tried to make himself useful while doing so. He's the Director of Science for Aqueous Solutions, and the Chief Technical Advisor for Caminos de Agua, grassroots water and health development organizations in Thailand and Mexico, respectively. He taught environmental engineering courses at NC State University for a couple of years before returning to his roots as a freelance renegade scientist and exponent of ecological transition engineering. He lives with his wife Rachael and all their critters on a small mountaintop homestead in southern Appalachia.

Episode 67 is all about regenerative ag, with Ashley Colby (@RizomaSchool) and Peter Allen (@pclarkallen) teaming up to talk to Brendan Barnard (@IntractableLion)of Posterity Ciderworks about his cider-making philosophy, and his interest in low intervention agriculture. About Brendan Barnard Passionate about stewardship, long term thinking, and the intersections of nature, art, and science, cider captured Brendan’s attention in 2016 and he hasn’t shaken it. When he’s not grafting, planting, pruning, picking, pressing, or sampling cider you’ll find him cooking for his family. About Peter Allen Peter Allen spent a decade in Madison where Peter was researching and teaching ecology, economics, and complexity science, and his wife Maureen was studied biology, taught team building seminars at the University, and helped develop a non-profit urban farm for kids. They moved to the Driftless in 2012 to build a homestead and start a regenerative farm nestled in the hills of the Kickapoo River Valley in the heart of Wisconsin’s Driftless region. They are inspired by the oak savanna ecosystems that once blanketed our hills and valleys. Groves of fruit and nuts trees combined with prairie grasslands to create the most diverse, productive, and functional ecosystems in the history of our continent. It's no wonder why these savanna gardens were cultivated by Indigenous Americans for millennia and manicured by mastodons for tens of millions of years. Now they’re the keystone species - planting fruit and nut trees by the thousands, thinning out overgrown woodlands, and practicing multi-species rotational grazing with cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, and poultry to manage vegetation, build soil, boost biodiversity, and produce meats and medicines at peak power and potency. About Ashley Colby Ashley is an Environmental Sociologist who studied at Washington State University, the department that founded the subdiscipline. She's interested in and passionate about the myriad creative ways in which people are forming new social worlds in resistance to the failures of late capitalism and resultant climate disasters. I am a qualitative researcher so I tend to focus on the informal spaces of innovation. She's the founder of Rizoma Field School and Rizoma Foundation.

Kevin Alviti has been a carpenter for over 20 years, he has worked on everything from oak framed barns to high rise flats, from 18th century style carvings to cleaving the parts for a gate from a log.  Kev sits down with Ashley and a few DO fans to talk homesteading, parenting, localism and then a little bit about his upcoming woodworking class in Ashley's home economics course:   https://rizomaschool.gumroad.com/l/homeeconomics101  Introduction to Woodworking. When a tree falls, we automatically think of firewood, but really that should be the last use we come to, each part should be used to its fullest extent. Wood is the greatest material there is, renewable, durable and infinitely workable. In this lecture, I’ll talk about the basic tools and equipment you need, and how to start on some simple projects. Woodworking for projects and repairs you need for your home.

On this episode of Doomer Optimism, Ashley Colby (@RizomaSchool) interviews "Mash Tun" Timmy (@MashTunTimmy) and his band of merry brewers about making beer, friendships, and how making things can bring people together. About "Mash Tun" Timmy He owns a software company. Interested in complexity, mysticism, the power of male friendship, re-enchanting the world, and brewing beer with his "Watch the Pot" brewery/club, which he helps run from a barn in Michigan. About Ashley Colby Ashley is an Environmental Sociologist who studied at Washington State University, the department that founded the subdiscipline. She's interested in and passionate about the myriad creative ways in which people are forming new social worlds in resistance to the failures of late capitalism and resultant climate disasters. I am a qualitative researcher so I tend to focus on the informal spaces of innovation. She's the founder of Rizoma Field School and Rizoma Foundation.