The Good Dirt: Sustainability Explained

What happens when a listener writes in with the exact question your community is wrestling with? You invite her on the show.Emily Hillman reached out to Mary & Emma after spending 14 years in the fashion industry — from the artisan workrooms of Midtown Manhattan to the fast fashion corporate world — and found herself at a crossroads. After purchasing a 19th-century farmhouse in rural New Jersey and becoming a mother, her priorities had quietly, profoundly shifted. She wasn't looking for a neat answer. She was looking for a conversation. And that's exactly what this episode is.This is The Good Dirt's first episode back after a hiatus, and what a way to return — with a grounded, honest, and deeply relatable conversation about the real tension so many of us feel: I want to live more simply, more slowly, more intentionally — but how do I actually do that in the life I'm already living?If you've ever felt the push and pull between the values you hold and the demands of the world you live in, this episode was made for you.In this episode, we cover:Emily's journey from Vermont roots to New York City fashion workrooms — and what she learned firsthand about the difference between artisan craftsmanship and fast fashion productionThe "painful catch-22" of slow living: wanting a simpler life that costs money, while earning less because you're stepping back from the corporate grindWhy removing moral judgment from your daily purchasing decisions can actually free you to make more sustainable choicesPractical, accessible approaches to buying secondhand clothing for kids (and why our audience is already well ahead of the curve)The economics of slow food: buying in bulk, finding local sources, joining a CSA, and why embracing constraints actually sparks creativityComposting as one of the most powerful individual acts for the planet — and tips for making it work even in bear countryHow small, cumulative changes add up — and why you're probably further along than you thinkBook recommendations: Redefining Rich by Shannon Hayes, The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, and Jen Sincero's You Are a Badass seriesThe concept of "blue sky thinking" — letting yourself imagine the life you want before the budget anxiety kicks inReconnecting with nature and the seasons as a compass for finding your authentic callingBooks & Resources Mentioned:Redefining Rich by Shannon Hayes — [listen to our interview with Shannon here]The Artist's Way by Julia CameronYou Are a Badass and You Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen SinceroFibershed — a network for regional fiber systems and slow fashionLocal Harvest (for finding CSAs near you): localharvest.orgWant to chat with us? If Emily's story resonates with you — if you're somewhere in the middle of this same journey — we'd love to hear from you. Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at 443-459-1950.And if you're interested in joining our free, casual Slow Living Through the Seasons cohort, reach out to mary@ladyfarmer.com for the signup link.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🌻 About Lady Farmer:Subscribe to The ALMANAC, a Lady Farmer Newsletter & CommunityVisit Our WebsiteFollow @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 Lady Farmer. The Good Dirt podcast is proudly part of the Connectd Podcasts network.🌿 The Good Dirt Producers:Wendy GrayAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Mary and Emma return to the podcast after over a six-month hiatus, reflecting on the evolution of Lady Farmer as a brand and their own experiences within it. They discuss how the cultural context around sustainability has shifted, how they don't want to present themselves as experts or frame sustainability in moral terms, and how systemic forces limit individual impact even as daily habits still matter. They aim to focus more on finding meaning, creativity, and defining “the good life". They share personal updates (babies! work! gardening!) and discuss plans for how they want to continue to unfold into The Good Dirt and the Lady Farmer project.00:00 Welcome Back Check In01:11 Meet Mary And Emma02:12 Lady Farmer Origin Story04:16 Slow Living Then And Now08:17 Beyond Individual Responsibility10:37 Morality Free Sustainability13:24 Decluttering And Landfill Guilt15:34 Meaning Emotions And The Good Life17:16 Creativity Work And Money19:52 Grandma Life And Restorative Gardening21:13 Reopening The Marketplace25:52 Listener Requests And Wrap UpAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this episode of The Good Dirt Podcast, Emma and Mary welcome back Janna Hockenjos, founder of We Are Earth Friends, an environmental education organization designed for children ages 3-8. Jana discusses the program’s impact on young learners' understanding of the interconnectedness of all of life on our planet and provides an update on the progress and expansion of the program. She also offers insights from the suburban food forest project. that she and her husband have been cultivating over the last few years.In addition, Emma and Mary make the announcement that the podcast will take a sabbatical until next year to allow time for rest and the development of new ideas. In the meantime, they will be continuing with articles, ideas and inspiration in The ALMANAC, the online newsletter and community of Lady Farmer. See the Substack link below!00:00 Reflecting on Slow Living Amidst Chaos00:30 Embracing the Present Moment01:35 Nature's Simple Joys02:27 Recording Together and Taking a Sabbatical04:10 Podcast Evolution and Future Plans08:13 Introducing Jana and Earth Friends12:25 Jana's Journey and Environmental Education15:19 Earth Friends Curriculum and Impact32:14 Making Environmental Education Accessible36:33 Challenges in Implementing Earth Friends in Schools37:04 Making Earth Friends Accessible to All38:57 Homeschool Groups and Marketing Strategies41:22 The Importance of Patience and Letting Go42:00 Personal Reflections and Yoga Insights51:23 Suburban Food Forest Project54:09 The Healing Power of Growing Your Own Food01:06:03 The Significance of Good Soil01:10:33 Conclusion and Final Thoughts━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🌻 About Lady Farmer:Subscribe to The ALMANAC, a Lady Farmer Newsletter & CommunityVisit Our WebsiteFollow @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 Lady Farmer. The Good Dirt podcast is proudly part of the Connectd Podcasts network. 🌿 The Good Dirt Producers:• Wendy GrayAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This episode was originally published on August 18th, 2023In this episode we're talking to Leah Webb, author of The Seven Step Homestead about how to turn any yard into a primary food source with vegetables, fruits, chickens, pollinator plants and medicinal herbs. A mother of two children with unique medical needs, Leah utilizes food grown in her own backyard garden as an important part of her children's integrative care. She sees herself as a solutions-based Family Food and Garden Coach, with a goal of guiding families in making small yet impactful steps towards sourcing their own nutrition and achieving long term dietary, cooking, and gardening goals. She is also the author of The Grain-Free, Sugar-Free, Dairy-Free Family Cookbook. In this conversation, we delve into the challenges and benefits of growing and preparing nutrient dense food, and the practicalities of creating your own microfarm in the space you already have. If you are one of many with a goal to connect with the land and create more independence from the industrial food system, Leah can guide you through, step-by-step.Topics Discussed• A Stormy Week in the DC Area• Leah's Background in Nutrition Education and Her Path to Creating a Microfarm in her own Backyard.• Being a Mom to Kids with Unique Medical Needs and the Role of Gardening and Home Grown Food in their Integrative Care.• Learning the Basics of Gardening for Food• Eating Home Grown Vegetables• Food Preservation• Convenience Foods• Priorities & Food• Investing in Homesteading• Start Small for the Long Haul• Which Plants to Start With• Planting Charts• Using, Measuring, and Creating Compost• The Difference Between Homesteading and Gardening• Homesteading , Self Sufficiency and Community• Finding an Alternative to the Industrial Food Industry• Consumer Awareness of Food• Regenerative Growing PracticesEpisode Resources:•"The Grain-Free, Sugar-Free, Dairy-Free Family Cookbook: Simple and Delicious Recipes for Cooking with Whole Foods on a Restrictive Diet" by Leah Webb•"The Seven-Step Homestead: A Guide for Creating the Backyard Microfarm of Your Dreams" by Leah Webb•Listen to The Good Dirt Reclaiming Our Food from Field to Kitchen with CSA Farmer Mo Moutoux of Moutoux OrchardConnect with Leah Webb:• Website: https://www.leahmwebb.com/• Instagram @leah_m_webb https://www.instagram.com/leah_m_webb/• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeahMWebbWellness/━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🌻 About Lady Farmer:•Our Website•Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram•Join The Lady Farmer ALMANAC•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.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this episode, Madison Murphy Barney, a two-Spirit Hoopa and Shoshone sister, author, doula, and public health storyteller, discusses the significance of the two-Spirit identity, historical roles, and the importance of maintaining cultural traditions. Madison delves into personal experiences growing up in North Dakota, the impact of indigenous boarding schools, and the generational transmission of pride and cultural knowledge. She also talks about the nature of stewardship, reconnecting with one's ancestry, and practical ways to slow down and embrace a more connected, mindful lifestyle. Highlighting the importance of personal and collective healing, Madison's insights offer deep wisdom and helpful guidance on how to engage with land, personal identity, and community.00:00 Introduction to Madison Murphy Barney04:01 Understanding Two-Spirit Identity05:11 Historical Context and Personal Background07:35 Family Heritage and Cultural Pride11:17 Impact of Residential Schools14:55 Journey to Vermont and Community Building18:22 Stewarding the Land and Personal Growth21:59 The Role of Humans in Healing the Earth23:40 Madison's Upcoming Book and Its Themes25:33 Final Reflections on Connection and Responsibility30:44 Exploring the Concept of 'Away'30:55 Connecting with Our Own Medicine34:42 Practical Steps to Reconnect with Ancestral Wisdom39:36 Astrology and Past Lives43:20 Navigating Challenging Times on Earth47:04 The Importance of Slowing Down50:46 Offerings and Final Thoughts━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🌻 About Lady Farmer:Subscribe to The ALMANAC, a Lady Farmer Newsletter & CommunityVisit Our WebsiteFollow @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 Lady Farmer. The Good Dirt podcast is proudly part of the Connectd Podcasts network. 🌿 The Good Dirt Producers:• Wendy GrayAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This is an ENCORE EPISODE, originally published on August 5, 2022In this episode, Mary and Emma are talking to Julia Skinner of Root: Historic Food for the Modern World. Root was born from Julia's deep love for community and a belief in the power of food to tell stories, connect us to place and to each other, and to build a bridge to the past.Julia's work is all about food, history, food stories, where it comes from and the people behind it. She loves fostering connections with other people and with the earth around us. Julia is especially interested in learning and teaching about fermentation, demonstrating to people the ease and accessibility of preparing delicious and healthy food using this ancient and powerful food preservation technique.Topics Covered:Exploring historic cookbooksJulia’s discovery of historical cooking traditionsTypes of fermentation she has exploredHow to start fermentingThe growing popularity of traditional foodsShifting food interests during the pandemicFood AccessMilk KefirFood as medicineResources Mentioned:Julia's website--Root KitchensOur Fermented Lives. by Julia SkinnerThe English Housewife by Gervase MarkhamThe Art of Fermentation by Sandor KatzFree99Fridge, AtlantaUmi FeedsGoodrSowans Celtic PorridgeThe Fermentation SchoolSon-Mat --(Korean) Hand taste, the unique quality and taste food has from an individual's touch, care, and experience; the way food tastes different when made by different people, often used to describe the taste of mom's cooking.Connect with Julia: Root Kitchens Website: https://root-kitchens.com/@rootkitchens on InstagramJulia's Books, Classes and CoursesRoot Kitchens Newsletter on SubstackAbout 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 InstagramJoin The Lady Farmer ALMANACLeave 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.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this episode, Mary is talking with Eve Schaub, an internationally published author and humorist. Known for her year-long experiments, such as 'Year of No Sugar' and 'Year of No Clutter,' Eve’s latest endeavor is 'The Year of the Dress,' where she attempts to grow, harvest, spin, and weave flax into a wearable linen dress in her backyard. The conversation covers the challenges of growing flax, the environmental impact of fast fashion, and the importance of community and sustainability in textile production. Listen to Eve’s inspiring journey towards slow living and sustainable crafting, and learn about resources such as Fibershed and the Pennsylvania Flax Project that support local textile production.00:00 Introduction to Big Ideas and Projects00:33 Guest Introduction: Eve Shaw01:07 Personal Projects and Sustainable Gardening04:30 Long-Term Planning and Sustainability05:52 Eve Shaw's Year-Long Experiments08:02 The Year of the Dress: Growing a Linen Dress11:42 Challenges and Inspirations in Sustainable Fashion21:32 Community and Resources for Flax Growing29:18 Overcoming Initial Challenges in Sustainable Clothing32:10 The Thrill of Thrift Shopping35:06 The Spirituality of Handmade Items37:02 Starting the Flax Growing Journey41:05 Learning and Experimenting with Flax46:15 Community and Resources for Sustainable LivingRESOURCES:Eve O Schaub Website and BooksCindy Conner, Homegrown Flax and Cotton Website and Book FibershedLandis Valley Village and Farm Museum PA Flax ProjectChesapeake Fibershed ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🌻 About Lady Farmer:Subscribe to The ALMANAC, a Lady Farmer Newsletter & CommunityVisit Our WebsiteFollow @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 Lady Farmer. The Good Dirt podcast is proudly part of the Connectd Podcasts network. 🌿 The Good Dirt Producers:• Wendy GrayAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This is an ENCORE EPISODE, originally published on July 7, 2023In this episode, Emma and Mary sit down to talk to Smruti Aravind, who oversees fundraising, donor communications, and grants at the Story of Stuff Project. Smruti brings over a decade of experience in the nonprofit sector, with an emphasis on digital storytelling and network-building to drive systemic change. Prior to joining the Story of Stuff, she led communications at Faith in Action East Bay, a federation of the largest faith-based organizing network in the U.S. Smruti shares about her work and her perspective on creating meaningful social impact, as well as the campaign work that Story of Stuff is doing in order to create policy change. She introduces the Bottle Bill project as well as the Reuse Revolution, and why burning plastic is not the solution that you may believe it to be. Smruti also touches on what other countries are doing to deal with their waste, the impact on The Global South, and how we can all flex our citizen muscles and advocate for plastic reduction laws to be codified.Topics Discussed•Smruti's Work in the Nonprofit Sector•How the Story of Stuff Came to Be•Using the Power of Media to Influence Policy Change•Content Creation & Advocacy•The Story of Microbeads & The Story of Plastic•Founder Annie Leonard's Inspiration for the Documentary•Increasing BIPOC Voices in the Search of a Solution•Systems Thinking for the General Public•The Break Free From Plastic Movement Treaty•How Millennials and Gender Z Approach Environmental Activism•Shifting From Individual Responsibility to Systemic Change•Real Solutions vs. False Solutions•The Great Pacific Plastic Patch •Why Burning Plastic & Buying Plastic Clothes Doesn't Work•Stopping the Tap with Campaign Work: The Bottle Bill & The Reuse Revolution•What Other Countries Are Doing•The Impact of Waste on the Global South•Flexing Our Citizen Muscles•What Corporations are Able to Change•Moving to Florida & the Way that Different States Handle Plastic Waste•Cloth Diapers•Slow Living in a Big City•The Impact of the IndividualEpisode Resources:•Watch The Story of Stuff Documentary•The California Plastic IncineratorConnect with Smruti Aravind:•Website: https://www.storyofstuff.org/blog/people/smruti-aravind/•YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/storyofstuffproject•Instagram: @storyofstuff https://instagram.com/storyofstuff/•Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/storyofstuff•Links: https://linktr.ee/storyofstuff━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🌻 About Lady Farmer:•Our Website•Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram•Join The Lady Farmer ALMANAC•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.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this episode, Dr. Bill Schindler discusses the impact of modern diets on health and the importance of ancestral dietary practices. He shares the journey of the Modern Stone Age Kitchen, a restaurant dedicated to using ancestral approaches to make nutritious and sustainable food accessible, and his family's personal evolution in food preparation and consumption. Dr. Schindler also highlights the significance of seasonal eating, shares fascinating stories from his global travels to learn traditional food practices, and provides practical advice for people looking to improve their health and relationship with food. He emphasizes the necessity of flexibility in diets, understanding cultural and emotional connections to food, and making small, manageable shifts towards more nourishing eating habits.00:00 The Best Diet Myth00:27 Seasonal Eating Made Easy04:34 Introducing Dr. Bill Schindler07:19 Understanding Ancestral Foods17:52 The Impact of Technological Revolutions on Diet18:37 The Cold Chain Revolution26:02 Personal Journey and Aha Moments43:31 The Birth of the Sourdough Bread Company49:11 The Reluctant Restaurant Owners50:25 Struggles of Homemade Nourishment52:26 Community and Outreach53:52 The Food Lab and Educational Programs55:31 Documenting Indigenous Food Practices57:56 Traditional Cheese Making in Norway01:01:34 Exploring Manioc Processing in the Amazon01:04:38 Adventures in Kenya: The Ash Yogurt Story01:14:35 Embracing Slow Living and Health Tracking01:17:52 The Philosophy of Good Dirt01:19:15 Advice for the Average Family01:26:33 Celebrating Birthdays with Healthy Desserts01:30:45 Conclusion and Final ThoughtsResources:Bill Schindler's Website modernstoneage.comEat Like a Human: Nourishing Foods and Ancient Ways of Cooking to Revolutionize Your Health by Dr. Bill SchindlerFire the Spark that Ignited Human Evolution by Francis D BurtonGuns, Germs and Steel by Jared DiamondThe Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race by Jared DiamondThe Pulse Cure by Dr. Torkil Faero━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🌻 About Lady Farmer:Subscribe to The ALMANAC, a Lady Farmer Newsletter & CommunityVisit Our WebsiteFollow @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 Lady Farmer. The Good Dirt podcast is proudly part of the Connectd Podcasts network. 🌿 The Good Dirt Producers:• Wendy GrayAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This is an ENCORE EPISODE, originally published on July 9, 2021In this week’s episode, Mary and Emma dive deep into the world of plastic consumption and waste management with Lauren Olson, a Zero Waste Manager at World Centric, exploring the world of compostables and the use of plastic in our daily lives. The discussion covers several aspects of the topic, including the difficulties of “zero-waste," how plastic sneaks into our homes even when we are consciously trying to avoid it, and all the ways in which existing systems make it difficult to create true sustainability in our homes. Lauren explains the science behind bioplastics, as well as the difference between industrial vs home compostables. She also shares how to determine genuinely compostable products and helps us imagine a cradle to cradle world where waste equals food for the earth, and not the other way around! Mary and Emma ask the vital questions, what can we do to work through this monumentally large plastic problem, and is it really possible to achieve the ultimate goal of a zero-waste economy? Lauren gives practical tips for individual action, while encouraging all of us to use our voices as paying consumers to demand change from the top down.1:30 - Mary and Emma catch up and talk about plastic problem solving! 10:30 - World Centric Let’s get into the episode:11:30 - Introducing Lauren & the world of World Centric 16:30 - Is zero waste really achievable?  22:00 - Bioplastics 30:00 - Landfills as coffins for waste 35:00 - What can we do? 36:00 - Greenwashing 43:00 - Facing this massive issue 50:00 - What does the Good Dirt mean to you? USE CODE: "thegooddirt" for 10% off online at World Centric. Valid for 30 days. Things Mentioned:World Centric The Ecology Center Nature WorksPolystyreneBPI Compost Manufacturers Alliance (CAM)  ASTM 6400 or 6868Findacomposter.comWorld Centric’s Giving ProgramAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy