The Good Dirt: Sustainability Explained

Latest Episodes:

128. Futuresteading with Jade Miles of Black Barn Farm Feb 10, 2023

Show notes

Ever dream about moving to a Homestead? In today's episode, we're talking to Jade Miles of Black Barn Farm. Jade is the author of FUTURESTEADING, a practical and inspirational guide to living in a way that values tomorrow and the host of a podcast by the same name. Futuresteading is grounded in a slower, simpler, steadier existence as the first step – one that’s healthier for humans and the planet. In addition, Jade runs Black Barn Farm with her husband and their three children, inspired by their belief in building a localized fair food system.

Topics Discussed:

Jade tells us about her background and journey to Black Barn Farm
Jade and her husband Charlie's commitment to land stewardship and local food systems
Experiencing the 2019-2020 fires in Australia
Governmental vs. individual responsibility in addressing the global environmental issues
Diversity and Permaculture at Black Barn Farm as a “beyond organic” orchard, an educational resource, a nursery, a local food provider and a working homestead for Jade and her family
Farm Scale permaculture
Futuresteading is about “...assessing whether or not the decision that you make will have an outcome that is regenerative, sustainable or degenerative.”
Growing Mountain Pepper, an indigenous bush food
Connecting with the indigenous First Nations people of the land
Educational opportunities at Black Barn Farm include school and upskilling workshops
Sustainable Table
Futuresteading the book
Futuresteading the podcast

More information on the indigenous tribes discussed:

Learn more about the Mad Agriculture program!

More information on Steward

Check out our podcast with Dan Miller and Spike Gjerde of Steward!

Connect with Jade:

Instagram

Facebook

This Episode is Sponsored by Ettitude: ettitude.com/thegooddirt

^Use code THEGOODDIRT for $25 off your first order!

About Lady Farmer:

Our Website
@weareladyfarmer on Instagram
Join The Lady Farmer ALMANAC
Leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you!
Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com

Original music by John Kingsley. Our technical partner for this series is CitizenRacecar, Post-Production by Alex Brouwer and José Miguel Baez, Coordinated by Gabriela Montequin and Mary Ball. The Good Dirt is a part of the Connectd Podcasts Network.

Statements in this podcast have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not to be considered as medical or nutritional advice. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, and should not be considered above the advice of your physician. Consult a medical professional when making dietary or lifestyle decisions that could affect your health and well-being.

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127. Discovering the Roots of Good Health with Lauren Haynes of Wooden Spoon Herbs Feb 03, 2023

Show notes

Today's discussion is with Lauren Haynes, founder of Wooden Spoon Herbs, a company providing products and education to help you build your routine of herbal support. Lauren's goal is to make earth-grown, time-tested herbal formulas accessible for the health of ourselves and our planet. In this conversation, we discuss Lauren's background in Appalachia and her education as an herbalist, the challenges of regulations around herbal products, educating consumers about product use, and the role of herbalism in healing the broken relationship between humans and earth.

Topics Discussed:

Lauren's journey to Wooden Spoon Herbs
How Lauren was first drawn to herbalism
The issue of compliance in the utilization of herbalism
The Appalachian Center for Natural Health
Phyllis D. Light
Green Comfort School of Herbal Medicine
Candice Pert, Your Body is Your Subconscious Mind
Molecules of Emotion
Herbalism is NOT a replacement for professional health care, but it can be a compliment
What is unique about Wooden Spoon Herbs
The challenge of regulations around herbal products and education
The DSHEA Act Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act
Wooden Spoon Herbs sourcing
Lauren's background growing up in Appalachia
Isaias Hernandez @queerbrownvegan
The role of herbalism in healing the broken relationship between humans and earth
How can slow living be accessible to everyone?
Stephanie O'Dea
Jessie Inchauspe @theglucosegoddess
@tartvinegar

Connect with Lauren:

@woodenspoonherbs on Instagram
Wooden Spoon Herbs Website

This Episode is Sponsored by Ettitude: ettitude.com/thegooddirt

^Use code THEGOODDIRT for $25 off your first order!

About Lady Farmer:

Our Website
@weareladyfarmer on Instagram
Join The Lady Farmer ALMANAC
Leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you!
Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

BONUS: The History and Folklore of Brigid: Saint, Legend and Lady Farmer with Kathy Spaar | Episode 27 Reprise Jan 31, 2023

Show notes

Today's episode is about Brigid, saint and legend, known for her skills at the hearth, the loom, midwifery, healing, poetry and animal husbandry. Kathy Spaar, spiritual director, pilgrimage leader and nature educator shares many of the folklore and stories of this legendary figure from Celtic tradition. As a figure of feminine wisdom and power who presides over the land and the homestead, we consider Brigid the quintessential Lady Farmer, our guide, protector and inspiration for slow living through the seasons.

Intro:

Follow Kesslyn @gemwellnessofficial for more about her journey as a midwife and her exploration of St. Brigid.

Episode Reprise:

Imbolc is here!
Mary and Emma introduce Kathy and Brigid
Kathy introduces herself
Brigid's Feast Day
Kathy's favorite stories of Brigid
Brigid - the quintessential Lady Farmer
How does Brigid relate to the times we are in now
The most important thing Brigid has taught Kathy

Mentions:

The Almanac Brigidine Sisters Children's Book “Brigid’s Cloak: An Ancient Irish Story” by Bruce Milligan. "Symbols of Plenty" by Ruth Bidgood "Rekindling the Flame " by Rita Minehan

About Lady Farmer:

Our Website
@weareladyfarmer on Instagram
Join The Lady Farmer ALMANAC
Leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you!
Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

126. No Fluff: The Inside Info On Wool Insulation with Andrew Legge of Havelock Wool Jan 27, 2023

Show notes

Looking for a natural insulation option? Look no further than the world's oldest...wool! In today's episode, Mary & Emma chat with Andrew Legge, founder of Havelock Wool to discuss wool insulation, how it differs from more conventional insulation methods, and why you might want to consider it for your tiny home, van conversion, or even full home renovation!

Topics Discussed

Join the Lady Farmer Slow Living Challenge! (Starts 2.6.23)

Interview:

Andrew discusses his background and the path to Havelock Wool
The shift in consumer knowledge and demand for alternative building projects
Wool as a dynamic fiber
The contrast between wool and synthetic fibers as insulation
Design obsolescence, how consumers are conditioned to expect the need to replace products
The power of the consumer in choosing alternatives
Build better, build less, build slower. Don't build space that you don't need
As shelter from the elements, the building's key feature is insulation.
Common sense in the construction industry
If wool is a natural product, why is it more expensive?
Wool insulation manufacturing as a sustainable and low waste process
Embodied vs operational carbon
Biophilic design
Sourcing wool from New Zealand
Why not source the wool in the US or other places?
Havelock as the go-to insulator for van conversions

Connect with Havelock Wool:

This Episode is Sponsored by Ettitude: ettitude.com/thegooddirt

^Use code THEGOODDIRT for $25 off your first order!

About Lady Farmer:

Our Website
@weareladyfarmer on Instagram
Join The Lady Farmer ALMANAC
Leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you!
Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

125. How Smokey the Bear Changed America: The Importance of Grasslands with Kyle Lybarger of The Native Habitat Project Jan 20, 2023

Show notes

Today's guest is Kyle Lybarger, a forester and conservationist from north Alabama. His passion is identifying, protecting, and managing the overlooked grassland ecosystems in his region and educating the public about the environmental value and climate benefits of these native plants. Most people don't realize that so many of our forested areas were once actually native grasslands that were maintained by the grazing of native animal life and the management practices of the native people. In this conversation, Kyle also explains the importance of fire in land management, both the naturally occurring fires and those that indigenous people practiced to sustain local food systems. Tune in to hear Kyle's take on Smokey the Bear, rewilding and the "no-mow" movement, how our domestic landscape has shifted here in the United States and what we can all do to reinvigorate our land and secure our food system.

Topics Discussed:

Join the Lady Farmer Slow Living Challenge! (Starts 2.6.23)

How Kyle got to the Native Habitat Project and how that evolved
Grassland ecosystems
The need for education about native plants
The ecological role of grasslands
Why the grasslands have disappeared
Kyle discusses "rewilding"
Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee
The role of burning in maintaining grasslands
How Native Americans utilized the grassland ecosystems
How Smoky the Bear and growing populations changed land management practices
Porter's Goldenrod
Hartselle Sandstone Barren
How Kyle established an outdoor classroom in his hometown
How forestry competes with biodiversity
Grasslands are valuable for sequestering carbon
Birds for Beef
Jenny Harris of White Oak Pastures
Grazing Gone Native with The American Forage Council
Discretionary use of sprays to restore grasslands
Restoring lawns to native habitats for wildlife diversity and for creating reliable food sources

Connect with Kyle:

This Episode is Sponsored by Havelock Wool: Visit https://havelockwool.com/gooddirt to learn all about wool insulation!

About Lady Farmer:

Our Website
@weareladyfarmer on Instagram
Join The Lady Farmer ALMANAC
Leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you!
Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com

Original music by John Kingsley. The Good Dirt podcast is edited and engineered by Aleksandra van der Westhuizen and produced by Mary Ball. The Good Dirt is a part of the Connectd Podcasts Network.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

124. Exploring Real Life Environmentalism with Julia Blandford of the Seeking Sustainability Podcast Jan 13, 2023

Show notes

Today's episode is with Julia Blandford, a recent graduate from the Savannah College of Art and Design with a BFA in Fashion Marketing and Management, and host of the Seeking Sustainability Podcast. Join us for this fun and refreshing conversation with one of the younger voices within our community. Julia identifies herself as on the cusp of the Millennial and Gen Z generations, openly sharing about her passion as a self-proclaimed environmentalist as well as the doubts and frustrations along her own sustainable living journey. We find it hopeful and enlightening to hear how Julia and her contemporaries are approaching the challenges that face us in our world today.

Topics Discussed:

Join the Lady Farmer Slow Living Challenge! (Starts 2.6.23)

Julia's story as a Gen Z environmentalist
How she started her podcast--Seeking Sustainability
ESG: Environmental Sustainable Governance
Environmentalism in hard times
How Julia's personal struggles informed her environmentalist views
Privilege and sustainability
How Julia felt like she failed at sustainability
There's no formula for what it means to be an environmentalist
Julia's experience with being a vegan
Small steps to getting around degenerative systems
Accountability and empathy
Sustainability and consumerism
Intersectional environmentalism
Cottage core
Gen Z and sustainability
"Trends don't exist outside of social media for my generation."
What does slow living mean outside of social media?
Julia's slow-living stew

Connect with Julia:

On Instagram @seekingsustainability.pod
Seeking Sustainability Podcast

This Episode is Sponsored by Havelock Wool: Visit https://havelockwool.com/gooddirt to learn all about wool insulation!

About Lady Farmer:

Our Website
@weareladyfarmer on Instagram
Join The Lady Farmer ALMANAC
Leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you!
Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com

Original music by John Kingsley. The Good Dirt podcast is edited and engineered by Aleksandra van der Westhuizen and produced by Mary Ball. The Good Dirt is a part of the Connectd Podcasts Network.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Reprise: Little Christmas and a Story for Epiphany, The Legend of Old Befana Jan 06, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Mary and Emma discuss the meaning of January 6th as the Feast of Epiphany. According to the Christian Liturgical Calendar, this day commemorates the three Magi's visit to the scene of the nativity and marks the end of the Christmas season. In the Appalachian tradition, Epiphany was known as "Little Christmas" or "Old Christmas," hearkening back to Old World traditions of extending the Christmas season over 12 days as an extended period of celebration and rest, ending with "Little Christmas" on January 6th. This episode concludes with Mary's telling of an Epiphany story from Italy, the Legend of Old Befana, which is a replay from two years ago.

Topics Discussed:

Epiphany
Little Christmas or Old Christmas
The Legend of Old Befana

About Lady Farmer:

Our Website
@weareladyfarmer on Instagram
Join The Lady Farmer ALMANAC
Leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you!
Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com

Original music by John Kingsley. The Good Dirt podcast is edited and engineered by Aleksandra van der Westhuizen and produced by Mary Ball. The Good Dirt is a part of the Connectd Podcasts Network.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

123. Year End Review: Mary and Emma Look Back at Top Moments from 2022 Dec 30, 2022

Show notes

Tune in as Mary and Emma each discuss and review their picks for the most impactful episodes from 2022. The year has been so full of fun, informative and inspiring interviews, it's hard to narrow it down, but here are just some of the conversations that stand out as they look back on another year of The Good Dirt.

Episodes Discussed:

#101 Andrew Schwartz of EcoCiv
#104 Heidi Barr and Emma DeLong of the PA Flax Project
#80 Lincoln Smith, Forested LLC
#96 Marti Buckley
#88 Rose and Doug Phillips
#110 Stephanie O'Dea
#94 Bex Partridge
#84 Eliza Greenman

About Lady Farmer:

Our Website
@weareladyfarmer on Instagram
Join The Lady Farmer ALMANAC
Leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you!
Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com

Original music by John Kingsley. The Good Dirt podcast is edited and engineered by Aleksandra van der Westhuizen and produced by Mary Ball. The Good Dirt is a part of the Connectd Podcasts Network.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Slow Holiday: A Winter Reflection and Music Dec 23, 2022

Show notes

Tune in for this special winter episode, featuring a holiday reflection and a favorite traditional song, sent to you with love from Mary and Emma. Happy Holidays everyone!

Special thank you to The Longest Johns for sharing their cover of Bright Morning Star.

About Lady Farmer:

Our Website
@weareladyfarmer on Instagram
Join The Lady Farmer ALMANAC
Leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you!
Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com

Original music by John Kingsley. The Good Dirt podcast is edited and engineered by Aleksandra van der Westhuizen and produced by Mary Ball. The Good Dirt is a part of the Connectd Podcasts Network.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

122. Creating Sustainable Art in a Consumer Culture with Cyanotype Artist Christa Norman Dec 16, 2022

Show notes

Our guest today is Christa Norman, a fine artist whose photographic medium is cyanotype. Her work reflects seasons and explores seasons of the human experience. Christa creates floral artwork with flowers grown in her own garden and conceptual collections inspired by her personal life seasons.

We covered a number of topics in this interview, including the dilemma that comes up so often in our conversations regarding the conflict between pursuing our creative passions and making a living, a common theme for creatives in our current economic system. Christa points out that one of our fundamental roles as humans is to be creators of things, but to a certain extent, we've forgotten that role and we've defaulted into our role as consumers. Join us in this conversation as we discuss, among other things, how this affects us as individuals and in our culture as a whole.

Topics Covered:

Christa's journey with photography, and the path to cyanotype
Bringing together creative passion with the need to make a living
What is cyanotype?
Louis-Jacques Daguerre
Floret Flowers
Our phones, capturing the present moment or taking us out of it?
The cost of fine art
How Christa's patronage works/ Creating sustainability as an artist
Sustainability of Cyanotype as an art medium
Cyanotype as a seasonal art
What is culture?
The role of art in our culture
Rae Dunn pottery
New York Magazine/ The Cut Article on Rae Dunn
Julia Watkins of Simply Living Well
Creativity as fundamental to all human

Connect with Christa

Christa's Website, christanormanstudio.com
On Instagram @christanormanstudio

This episode is Sponsored by True Leaf Market:

Use our promo code: TGD10 - for $10 off an order of $50 or more (expires June 15th. Limit to one use per customer) at https://www.trueleafmarket.com/

About Lady Farmer:

Our Website
@weareladyfarmer on Instagram
Join The Lady Farmer ALMANAC
Leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you!
Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com

Original music by John Kingsley. The Good Dirt podcast is edited and engineered by Aleksandra van der Westhuizen and produced by Mary Ball. The Good Dirt is a part of the Connectd Podcasts Network.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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