Herbal Radio

This week on Everything You Didn’t Know About Herbalism, we are featuring the passionate leader of a non-profit organization that is very near and dear to our hometown, right here in Lane County, Oregon: Sonya Carlson of BRING Recycling. In this episode, Sonya and Thomas dive into how waste reduction goes far deeper than simply recycling alone, and by bringing communities together, we can all take hold of our collective and individual responsibility to care for our Earth. Through Sonya’s leadership, educational outreach, hands-on workshops, and community engagement, BRING understands that carving the path toward a sustainable future requires all hands on deck. As always, we thank you for joining us on another botanical adventure and are honored to have you tag along with us on this ride. Remember, we want to hear from you! Your questions, ideas, and who you want to hear from are invaluable to our podcast. Please send us an email at podcast@mountainroseherbs.com to let us know what solutions we should uncover next within the vast world of herbalism.  Learn more about Sonya and BRING:  ♻️️ Sonya Carlson is a passionate leader dedicated to environmental sustainability and community impact. As the Executive Director of BRING, she spearheads strategic initiatives to advance the organization's mission to provide vision, leadership, and tools for living well on the planet we share. BRING, a pioneering nonprofit in the region, promotes sustainability through its core principles of “reduce, reuse, recycle, rethink.” Under Sonya’s leadership, BRING continues to foster a culture of environmental responsibility and sustainability across Lane County. A significant part of BRING’s mission is its educational outreach, including the DIY Toolbox Tactics Classes, which offer hands-on workshops teaching skills in reuse, repair, and sustainability. These classes empower individuals and businesses with practical skills to reduce waste, conserve resources, and embrace a sustainable lifestyle. Additionally, BRING’s Planet Improvement Center serves as a hub for education, resource conservation, and community resilience, providing access to reusable materials and promoting waste reduction through community engagement. Before joining BRING, Sonya served as Vice President of Operations at Earth Lab Botanicals and Wise Woman Herbals. Her career also includes extensive experience in policy-making, having served as Chief of Staff for State Representative Phil Barnhart, where she gained a deep understanding of legislative processes. Sonya holds an MBA with a concentration in Sustainability from the University of Oregon, where she graduated as valedictorian, and a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Lewis and Clark College. During her academic career, she conducted greenhouse gas emissions surveys and life cycle analysis.  A dedicated advocate for her community, Sonya serves as a Commissioner on the Eugene Water and Electric Board and is a board member of the Lane Council of Governments and the Eugene Education Foundation. She is also an active member of the Eugene Rotary Club and was appointed by the Governor to serve on the Oregon Recycling System Advisory Council to implement the Recycling Modernization Act. With a strong business background and a keen understanding of the challenges faced by local businesses, Sonya partners with them through BRING’s Rethink Business Certification Program to help navigate regulations, best practices, and sustainability efforts. She understands the financial pressures and staffing constraints businesses face and emphasizes the importance of incentives and valuable training to drive participation in sustainability programs. In her free time, Sonya enjoys spending time with her family, camping, astronomy, gardening, and solving escape rooms. Her leadership and expertise continue to position BRING as a driving force in creating meaningful change for a sustainable future. ♳ For more information on BRING's DIY Toolbox Tactics Classes, visit BRING Toolbox Tactics. ♴ Check out upcoming BRING classes and workshop opportunities HERE! ♵ Learn how you can donate and help further BRING’s mission HERE! Follow BRING on social media! Facebook | @BRING Instagram | @bringrecycling   Join our community! Subscribe to the Mountain Rose Herbs newsletter Subscribe to Mountain Rose Herbs on YouTube Follow on Instagram Like on Facebook Follow on Pinterest Read the Mountain Rose Herbs blog Follow on TikTok Strengthening the bonds between people and plants for a healthier world. Mountain Rose Herbs www.mountainroseherbs.com

In this Tea Talks Roundtable, Jiling discusses Asian American Herbalism with herbalists Erin Masako Wilkins and Zoey Xinyi Gong. We explore: East Asian medicine views of food as medicine Eating through the seasons — from an East Asian medicine perspective How to integrate herbs into food Everyday recipes for everyday healing Current trends in East Asian medicine in popular culture Learn more about these herbalists below: 🌿 Erin Masako Wilkins is an Asian American herbalist and acupuncturist who has treated patients for years and teaches virtual and in-person workshops. Her book, Asian American Herbalism, intersects North American folk herbalism, traditional Chinese medicine, and Japanese folk traditions. Visit Erin at HerbFolkShop.com and on Instagram @herbfolkmedicine 🌿 Zoey Xinyi Gong is a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) chef, food therapist, registered dietitian, and educator based in New York and Shanghai. She is the author of the Five Elements Cookbook, catering director of The Red Pavilion in Brooklyn. Visit Zoey at www.ZoeyXinyiGong.com and on Instagram @zoeyxinyigong 🌿 Jiling Lin is a Licensed Acupuncturist (LAc) and herbalist in Ventura, CA. A clinician and teacher, Jiling is also a passionate traveler, artist, and adventurer– currently writing her first book! Visit Jiling at JilingLin.com, Instagram @LinJiling, Substack @Jiling, and Facebook @JilingLAc.   Join our community! Subscribe to the Mountain Rose Herbs newsletter Subscribe to Mountain Rose Herbs on YouTube Follow on Instagram Like on Facebook Follow on Pinterest Read the Mountain Rose Herbs blog Follow on TikTok Strengthening the bonds between people and plants for a healthier world. Mountain Rose Herbs www.mountainroseherbs.com

This week on Everything You Didn’t Know About Herbalism, we are sharing an awakening conversation surrounding the intersection of herbalism and grief with the author, educator, non-profit leader, and environmental advocate, Emily Ruff. Driven by her profound dedication and compassion, Emily sits down with us to dissect the individual and collective impact that environmental grief has on our communities, and how redefining its influence may play a key role in re-establishing a symbiotic relationship with our planet. We’ll explore how this can be accomplished by leaning on our plant allies in times of loss, which will not only provide us with the medicinal value of a botanical but also strengthen our gratitude for the gifts nature provides us. In turn, this strengthened connection allows us to join the planet on its journey toward healing, hand-in-hand. In Emily’s words, "Working with herbs for grief does not erase the causes of grief or the need for us to continue working towards collective liberation and justice, but hopefully, it gives us more fortitude and resilience to be able to do that."   🌿 Emily Ruff is a community herbalist who has practiced the art and science of plant healing for two decades. She is an author, educator, non-profit leader, and environmental advocate. Emily's background in gardening and botany came in childhood while wandering the wilderness and digging in the sandy soils of Florida with her grandfather, a sustenance farmer, and her father, an earth and space sciences professor. Her studies continued through apprenticeships in Guatemala under the tutelage of local healers on the southern coast of Lake Atitlan, in the mountains of Vermont at the feet of Rosemary Gladstar, and in the Central Florida apothecary Leaves & Roots with herbalists Carolyn Whitford and George D’Arcy. Emily received her Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Central Florida and a certificate in Curanderismo at the University of New Mexico. In 2005, Emily founded the Florida School of Holistic Living as a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to cultivating a sustainable community through education in Central Florida and a robust online curriculum serving students globally. Inspired to cultivate regional community, Emily founded the annual Florida Herbal Conference in 2012. In 2018, Emily formed a non-profit organization to carry forth Rosemary Gladstar's legacy of conservation, education, and healing through stewardship of Sage Mountain Botanical Sanctuary, where Emily currently serves as director. She has served on the local Selectboard for the Town of Orange and currently sits on the Regional Clean Water Advisory Committee. Emily’s dedication to preserving bioregional medicinal plant traditions led her to become a board member of United Plant Savers. She served multiple terms as president of the Herb Society of Central Florida and as co-founder of Homegrown Local Food Cooperative. In response to the tragic shooting at Pulse Nightclub, Emily founded the Grief Care Project and later formed the Herbal Action Network to continue weaving the web of compassionate herbalism into community engagement. Emily is an instructor in the Herbal Academy Advanced Herbal Training Course and the Ecoversity Herbalism Program and is a Bach Flower Registered Practitioner. In 2022, Emily received the American Botanical Council Herbal Community Builder Award in recognition of her service to the community and planet.   Join our community! Subscribe to the Mountain Rose Herbs newsletter Subscribe to Mountain Rose Herbs on YouTube Follow on Instagram Like on Facebook Follow on Pinterest Read the Mountain Rose Herbs blog Follow on TikTok Strengthening the bonds between people and plants for a healthier world. Mountain Rose Herbs www.mountainroseherbs.com

Marie White is an author, plant educator and environmentalist whose work focuses on medicinal herbs, relationship between people and plants, climate, and community care. She is the author of The Intimate Herbal ('22) and The Herbal Doula ('24), both through North Atlantic Books. 🌿Listen in as Jiling and Marie discuss: Marie’s new book, “The Herbal Doula” The herbs Marie recommends folks have handy when expecting or raising youngsters How herbs can be allies amidst climate change Self-care tips for doulas and other caring professions or individuals The garden as a space to create remedies for self, family and community— while nourishing other creatures and the environment Extending our circle of care The power of simple herbs 🌷Visit Marie White at: Marie’s Instagram: @marie___white Marie’s upcoming Substack: @penseesauvage.substack.com Marie’s Linktree: @Marie___White 🌱Resources Get Marie’s book, The Herbal Doula, HERE! Hailey Strongwater & LOAM  Partum Gardens Community Care Collective  Naturopathic Herbalist online library  Richard Whelan's online library  🌸About Jiling Jiling Lin is a Licensed Acupuncturist (L.Ac) and herbalist in Ventura, CA. A clinician and teacher, Jiling is also a passionate traveler, artist, and adventurer. Visit Jiling at JilingLin.com, Instagram @LinJiling, and Facebook @JilingLAc. Get her free Nourishing Life (養生) template or Five Phases (五行) outline. Join her Substack here for experimental eco-somatic writings, and sign up for her monthly newsletter here!     Join our community! Subscribe to the Mountain Rose Herbs newsletter Subscribe to Mountain Rose Herbs on YouTube Follow on Instagram Like on Facebook Follow on Pinterest Read the Mountain Rose Herbs blog Follow on TikTok Strengthening the bonds between people and plants for a healthier world. Mountain Rose Herbs www.mountainroseherbs.com

This week on Everything You Didn’t Know About Herbalism, we are thrilled to share an eye-opening conversation with the passionate author, knowledgeable educator, and jack of all trades within the herbal world, Nicole Telkes. Listen in as Thomas and Nicole deep dive into how the collision of cultures for millennia weaved our understanding of herbalism in the present day, the troubling history between herbalism and American healthcare, and how we can reconnect the herbal community in a changing world through the core of herbalism itself: the botanicals that surround us. In Nicole’s words, “You can accomplish so much with just a simple cup of tea with people”. As always, we thank you for joining us on another botanical adventure and are honored to have you tag along with us on this ride. Remember, we want to hear from you! Your questions, ideas, and who you want to hear from are invaluable to our podcast. Email us at podcast@mountainroseherbs.com to let us know what solutions we should uncover next within the vast world of herbalism.   🌷Nicole Telkes RH(AHG) is an award-winning practicing herbalist, author, and clinical mentor. She has a background in botanical studies, plant conservation work, community activism, and herbal first-aid clinics. She wrote the books Medicinal Plants of Texas and Herbcraft: The Complete Guide to 21st Century Holistic Western Herbalism. Nicole manages a United Plant Savers Botanical Sanctuary and Apiary and currently supervises the gardens at Bastyr University. She is the founder and lead instructor at the Wildflower School of Botanical Medicine, founded in 2003. She is best known for her work freeing fire cider as one of the Fire Cider 3. Nicole works on the Board of Directors of the nonprofit, Southwest School of Botanical Medicine(SWSBM) to help preserve the legacy of Michael Moore and is starting another nonprofit, The Community Herbalist Alliance. Southwest School of Botanical Medicine Resources: Check out Michael Moore’s revamped website launching September 21st HERE! Subscribe to join the SWSBM newsletter HERE! Want to support SWSBM work towards maintaining Michael Moore’s website and future projects? Click HERE to make a tax deductible contribution.   Find where to get your hands on Nicole’s published books below: 🌿 Herbcraft: The Complete Guide to Traditional Western Holistic Herbalism *Use code Bulk5 to receive 33% off 5 or copies, or use code Bulk10 to receive 40% off of 10 copies! Direct sales only.  🌼 Medicinal Plants of Texas Find Nicole on Social Media: Instagram: @herbcrafter Facebook: @Nicole Telkes

🌸Iya Angelique "Sobande" Greer is a Tennessee-based Herbalist, Holistic Nutritionist, Wellness Strategist, and Desert Storm Veteran of the U.S. Army. She founded the first African American School of Herbalism in the United States in 1992, the NCB School of Herbalism & Holistic Health. She is the founder of Sacred Waters Retreat, The Afro Botany Immersion Conference and co-founder of "Cook, Cure & Conjure” with Yeye Lusiah Teish. She is currently the Program Director for Earthwise Spirituality & Education founded by Priestess Stephanie Rose Bird. Sobande teaches with Ecoversity and other universities around the country. She has been writing for various herbal publications over the past 30 years, and is a leader and trailblazer in the field of African American Herbal history. 🌷Listen in as Jiling and Sobande discuss: The legacies of our ancestors Herbs and plants of the African diaspora Honoring sacred plants without ingesting them— such as cotton and pennyroyal The spiritual aspects of food, herbs, and community How plantain and dandelion entered Sobande’s life at a young age Important life-long lessons from Sobande’s great grandmother How “food as medicine” extends to “food as medicine” for body, mind, and Spirit When we ingest plants, we ingest the nutrients of our ancestors 🌻Visit Iya Angelique "Sobande" Greer at: www.naturalchoicesbotanica.com  sacredwatersretreat.com 🏵️Resources: Sacred Waters Retreat NCB School of Herbalism & Holistic Health 🌿 JILING LIN is a Licensed Acupuncturist (L.Ac) and herbalist in Ventura, CA. A clinician and teacher, Jiling is also a passionate traveler, artist, and adventurer. Visit Jiling at JilingLin.com, Instagram @LinJiling, and Facebook @JilingLAc. Get her free Nourishing Life (養生) template or Five Phases (五行) outline. Join her Substack here for experimental eco-somatic writings, and sign up for her monthly newsletter here!  

This week on Everything You Didn’t Know About Herbalism, we are joined by the passionate and insightful Vice President of Development at the Rodale Institute, Annie Brown. As a true specialist surrounding all things organic agriculture, Annie shares with us how the Rodale Institute was founded during the boom of chemicals being introduced to the farming industry and how one businessman’s intuition led him from the hustle and bustle of NYC to rural Pennsylvania; where he studied agriculture practices of Indigenous populations that grew successful crops without the need for synthetic chemicals. From here, J.I. Rodale taught himself and his family how to effectively grow food without pesticides and chemical fertilizers. This led to the founding of the Rodale Institute in 1947, and the revolutionary term,“regenerative agriculture”, was coined. From the Rodale Institute's inception nearly 80 years ago, the fight for accessible organic agriculture persists strongly in the present day. Through partnerships and consulting with like-minded businesses, Rodale creates a clear path forward for those seeking to make the crucial transition into organic agriculture by providing research, farmer training, and consumer education. Mountain Rose Herbs is a proud partner of the Rodale Institute. Together, we are working to create a food system in harmony with nature by paving the way for the future of healthy soil, healthy food, healthy people, and healthy planet. As always, we thank you for joining us on another botanical adventure and are so honored to have you tag along with us on this ride. Remember, we want to hear from you! Your questions, ideas, and who you want to hear from are an invaluable piece to our podcast. Send us an email at podcast@mountainroseherbs.com to let us know what solutions we should uncover next within the vast world of herbalism.  Learn more about Annie and the Rodale Institute: 🌿Annie Brown is the Vice President of Development at Rodale Institute. She has been working with the Institute since 2012. She and her team oversee all fundraising activities for the organization, including public and private grants, individual donations, and corporate partnerships. Her passion for organic was born from her Missouri childhood where she was raised five miles in the country surrounded on all four sides by chemical/conventional farms. Her mother’s multiple bouts with cancer throughout her life were what woke Annie to connecting environment and diet to overall human health. Before her work at Rodale Institute, Annie had been involved in the food industry in various capacities ranging from food writer, cooking school co-director, co-founder of a handmade pasta company, sales/marketing director of a Colorado artisanal pasta company, food blogger, and was formerly a partner in a boutique Boulder PR firm focusing on restaurants and specialty food products. Her passion for food began as a young girl where she learned how to cook in her mother’s country kitchen. She created her first cookbook at age six and made her very first dollar selling handmade pimento cheese sandwiches at a local public auction at age eight. Check out how you can get involved with the Rodale Institute HERE! Learn how you can join the next generation of regenerative organic farmers HERE!   Join our community! Subscribe to the Mountain Rose Herbs newsletter Subscribe to Mountain Rose Herbs on YouTube Follow on Instagram Like on Facebook Follow on Pinterest Read the Mountain Rose Herbs blog Follow on TikTok Strengthening the bonds between people and plants for a healthier world. Mountain Rose Herbs www.mountainroseherbs.com

In this “Tea Talks Roundtable,” Jiling discusses herbal podcasting and the art of the herbal interview with fellow podcast hosts Mason Hutchison of The Herbalist Hour, Rosalee de la Foret of Herbs with Rosalee, and Thomas Dick of Herbal Radio. Get to know: The evolution of these herbal podcasts What makes for a great interview Some challenges of running a podcast What we love about this work How to start a herbal podcast— or join someone else’s show! Stay until the end for a special guest! 🌿 JILING LIN is a Licensed Acupuncturist (LAc) and herbalist in Ventura, CA. A clinician and teacher, Jiling is also a passionate traveler, artist, and adventurer. Jiling’s been hosting “Tea Talks with Jiling” and “Tea Talks Roundtables” on Herbal Radio since 2022! Visit Jiling at JilingLin.com, Instagram @LinJiling, and Facebook @JilingLAc. 🌿 MASON HUTCHISON is the founder of HerbRally, an herbal community hub that promotes herbalism education and events. He is also the host of "The Herbalist Hour," a podcast and YouTube series where he interviews a diverse array of plant people.  Check out the video recording of this episode on the HerbRally YouTube channel HERE!  🌿 THOMAS DICK is the EVP/ CBO at Mountain Rose Herbs and the host of the Herbal Radio Podcast. Born and raised in Appalachia, Thomas has been in the field of graphic design and marketing for more than 25 years and has spent the last 15 years building the Mountain Rose Herbs brand. 🌿 ROSALEE DE LA FORET is passionate about helping you explore the world of herbalism and nature connection. Over the past 20 years she's been an herbal products maker, clinician, and author. These days she spends most of her time teaching online courses and hosting the Herbs with Rosalee podcast and YouTube channel. Resources from Rosalee:  https://www.herbalremediesadvice.org/podcast-guest.html https://blog.podcast.co/create/podcast-guest-pitch   Join our community! Subscribe to the Mountain Rose Herbs newsletter Subscribe to Mountain Rose Herbs on YouTube Follow on Instagram Like on Facebook Follow on Pinterest Read the Mountain Rose Herbs blog Follow on TikTok Strengthening the bonds between people and plants for a healthier world. Mountain Rose Herbs www.mountainroseherbs.com

Hello plant people and welcome back to Herbal Radio! This week will be the second and final episode of our 2-part series featuring the four esteemed organizations that were the recipients of the 2023 Grants 4 Plants Program. For those unfamiliar with Grants 4 Plants, Mountain Rose Herbs created the grant program back in 2018 to support nonprofits, small businesses, and home herbalists who are working towards making this planet a better place. Since its inception, we’ve proudly been able to fund many invaluable initiatives leading towards organic and sustainable agriculture, herbal education, protection of native and medicinal plants, and environmental stewardship. This week, we are featuring the Therapeutic Farm Assistant and the SUD Counselor of Carl E. Dahl House Community Garden, Breanna Murphy and Kelsey Cass, as well as the Founder of Cincinnati Birth Center | Safer Birth Foundation, Meghan Nowland. We hope each of you listening in today will be inspired by the commendable work these organizations are providing for their communities and beyond. Please be sure to check out the links included below to find out how you can support these invaluable initiatives. We’ll see you next week when we hear from the other two organizations that won the 2023 Grants 4 Plants program. For now, we thank you for joining us on another botanical adventure!  Learn more about these organizations and the hard-working faces behind them: Carl E. Dahl House at Evergreen Grove is a residential treatment facility for me with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. Unlike traditional treatment facilities, the Carl E. Dahl house used a farm care modality as part of the resident's treatment plans. Working in the gardens and with our rescue animals allows for traditional treatment barriers to be dropped allowing for a more natural approach to self-healing and care. GAAMHA, the parent company of the Carl E. Dahl House, works to create a world where people can get help when they ask for it, no matter who they are. The gardening program allows for our residents to be hands on with nature. The clinical benefits of being able to say they took ownership of garden bed, planted, watered, weeded and cared for the growing plants that eventually will produce foods that naturally heal the body are priceless and cannot be duplicated in a traditional office style treatment model. Breanna Murphy helps manage the day-to-day operations of the animal care part of the program at the Carl E. Dahl House, where they have over 60 animals, many of which are rescues or special needs. Breanna has been working with Kelsey for two years to get the garden project to where it is today. She has her Bachelor’s in Sustainable Food and Farming, is a certified Ayurvedic Health Counselor, and has completed 3 herbal apprenticeships. Breanna and her husband have a small homestead and permaculture nursery called Singing Kettle Botanicals, where they focus on perennial food sources and medicinal herbs hardy to zone 5. Kelsey Cass is the Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Counselor at the Carl E Dahl House, and is in recovery herself. Kelsey and Breanna have been working together to implement the garden project as part of their clinical curriculum and therapeutic farming. Kelsey has her Bachelor’s in Human Development and Family Studies, is a certified yoga instructor, and certified in permaculture design. She first became connected with GAAMHA and the farm when she started teaching yoga at the farms pilot program a couple of towns over, and volunteered with the clients doing gardening and various nature related activities. “It’s been an absolute blessing to work here where I can share all my passions and interests, while helping others, and with the most amazing team of people.” – Kelsey Learn more about Carl E. Dahl House at Evergreen Grove by visiting the links below: Carl E. Dahl House website GAAMHA website R.O.O.T.S at Evergreen Grove website Donate to Carl E. Dahl House HERE! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Safer Birth Foundation (SBF), by Cincinnati Birth Center, is architecting the future of maternity care by creating the world's best midwifery centers. The objectives of the Safer Birth Foundation are to increase and democratize birth options, grow midwifery, and decrease birthing mortality. SBF does this by expanding access to midwifery care through financial aid, expanding the midwifery workforce, and supporting midwifery-led care. Meghan Nowland, Founder of the Safer Birth Foundation and the Cincinnati Birth Center, experienced midwife, doula, and lactation consultant, brings expertise and confidently calm energy to her clinical approach for clients across the local Cincinnati area since 2014, in Kentucky since 2020, and Indiana since 2024. She moved to Walnut Hills with a passion for improving Ohio’s maternity care and regularly volunteers to teach community childbirth education classes. In addition to her work as a midwife, she’s a founder of Ohio’s chapter of the National Association of Certified Professional Midwives. Most recently she’s been involved with legislative efforts to increase access to midwives and serving on the Kentucky Midwives Advisory Council, creating regulations for licensure of CPMs. Learn more about Cincinnati Birth Center | Safer Birth Foundation by visiting the links below: Cincinnati Birth Center website Cincinnati Birth Center blog Donate to Safer Birth Foundation HERE! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Join our community! Subscribe to the Mountain Rose Herbs newsletter Subscribe to Mountain Rose Herbs on YouTube Follow on Instagram Like on Facebook Follow on Pinterest Read the Mountain Rose Herbs blog Follow on TikTok Strengthening the bonds between people and plants for a healthier world. Mountain Rose Herbs www.mountainroseherbs.com

Hello plant people and welcome back to Herbal Radio! Over the next couple of weeks, we are thrilled to share two episodes featuring the four esteemed organizations that were the recipients of the 2023 Grants 4 Plants Program. For those unfamiliar with Grants 4 Plants, Mountain Rose Herbs created the grant program back in 2018 to support nonprofits, small businesses, and home herbalists who are working towards making this planet a better place. Since its inception, we’ve proudly been able to fund many invaluable initiatives leading towards organic and sustainable agriculture, herbal education, protection of native and medicinal plants, and environmental stewardship. This week, we are featuring two of the Regenerative Agriculture Fellows of Saticoy Food Hub, Kim Aguilar and Soli Guitierrez, and the Garden Coordinator of Rosalinda Sauro Sirianni Memorial Garden, Kate Robson.  We hope each of you listening in today will be inspired by the commendable work these organizations are providing for their communities and beyond. Please be sure to check out the links included below to find out how you can support these invaluable initiatives. We’ll see you next week when we hear from the other two organizations that won the 2023 Grants 4 Plants program. For now, we thank you for joining us on another botanical adventure!  Learn more about these organizations and the hard-working faces behind them: Saticoy Food Hub is a non-profit organization located in Saticoy, California, which is an unincorporated area of Ventura County. There, they work to build food sovereignty with Saticoy residents and help sustain the organization's three major programs: Saticoy Community Fridge, Saticoy Certified Farmers Market, and Saticoy Sowers. Saticoy Sowers is food and medicine cultivation education that is meant to bring community members together to learn from each other about traditional and regenerative agricultural practices in culturally-relevant ways. The Saticoy Sowers program also provides access to the Food Hub’s newly established seed library, nursery, and gleaning tools, thanks in part to the generous support of Mountain Rose Herbs.  Kim Aguilar (they/them) is a community advocate with a background in Environmental Studies and Sociology, holding a B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara. They are dedicated to advancing the vision of food sovereignty in Saticoy through food access and self-sufficient food cultivation. In their time at Saticoy Food Hub, they helped develop Saticoy Sowers, a backyard growers program that integrates herbalism and holistic medicine aimed at fostering sustainable practices and community health. Soli Gutierrez (she/her) is a community educator and organizer focused on food sovereignty, traditional regenerative agriculture, and Spanish language access. Born and raised in Ventura County. In 2019, she co-founded the Pesticide-Free Soil Project, which collaborated with schools on compost tea parties and hosted local environmental experts. Since 2021, she has been working in bilingual education, relearning traditional food cultivation methods, and restoring native plant habitats.  If you are a champion for social justice and healthy food systems, you can support their mission by donating HERE. Sign up for the Saticoy Food Hub Newsletter! Follow Saticoy Food Hub's programs on the Instagram accounts below: Saticoy Food Hub Saticoy Community Fridge Saticoy Farmer's Market ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rosalinda Sauro Sirianni Memorial Garden, founded by North Hills Community Outreach’s (NHCO), is a volunteer, community-supported organic garden that provides over 1,000 families with an average of 4,500 lbs. of produce every year that is distributed throughout their three  designated food pantries throughout northern Allegheny County. NHCO strives to provide low-income families access to quality, healthy, and nourishing food, and this mission is the driving force behind the hard work that is poured into the Rosalinda Sauro Sirianni Memorial Garden. If you are interested in helping further the mission of NHCO to provide locally-grown, organic produce to families in need, please consider donating by following the link HERE.  Learn more about garden volunteer opportunities HERE.  Kate Robson (she/her) grew up on a rural farm in Indiana County, PA, where her parents and grandparents took pride in the food they grew. Some of Kate's earliest memories with her family included shucking corn, snapping beans, and squeegeeing tomatoes. After a decade in science and agriculture education, Kate received her Master’s Degree in Environmental Science from Point Park University. Her thesis focused on the health, environmental, and community impacts of community gardens in urban areas, and her goal was to get involved with urban agriculture in Pittsburgh, PA. Kate took a position at North Hills Community Outreach, where she focuses on helping community members facing crisis, hardship, and poverty in northern Allegheny County. Kate currently serves as the Garden Coordinator of the Rosalinda Sauro Sirianni Memorial Garden.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Join our community! Subscribe to the Mountain Rose Herbs newsletter Subscribe to Mountain Rose Herbs on YouTube Follow on Instagram Like on Facebook Follow on Pinterest Read the Mountain Rose Herbs blog Follow on TikTok Strengthening the bonds between people and plants for a healthier world. Mountain Rose Herbs www.mountainroseherbs.com