The Positively Green Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Climate action, energy efficient building, intersectionality, and where you can feel empowered with Nate Dewart May 10, 2021

Show notes

Nate Dewart is a Senior Project Manager at an energy consulting firm in the San Francisco Bay Area. We chat about climate action, policy creation, and intersectionality.

In this episode, we discuss:

How you can advocate for better environmental standards in your home and community
About home appliance efficiency standards and the impacts on the environment
How legislation, policy shifts, regulatory action are solutions
Some important, behind-the-scenes work on market transformation
How everyday people like you can make a difference locally and nationally and participate in the biggest opportunities for legislation to make lasting changes for the environment

Resources that can help you get started or continue the fight for better climate policies:

NRDC – Natural Resources Defense Council @nrdc_org
ASAP- Appliance Standards Awareness Project www.appliance-standards.org
Sunrise Movement @sunrisemvmt
Liberation in a Generation https://www.liberationinageneration.org

Join us on this episode to hear more about the amazing work going on to support innovation in climate action and how you can get involved!

Prioritizing Rest and Collectivism with Ashanti Williams of Blackyard Farm Cooperative Apr 05, 2021

Show notes

Ashanti Williams is a Black female farmer, raised and nurtured by activists and land stewards of the Carolinas and the Bronx. She is passionate about working and learning alongside animals in an effort to create sustainable farm systems that are accessible to Black people. The access to safe learning environments around raising animals as a person of color has not been readily available to her which propelled her to work towards creating them with the Blackyard Farm Cooperative.

The Blackyard Farm Cooperative was created by five young Black and Latinx farmers/entrepreneurs in the Bronx working together to build a supportive community for Black farmers and creatives. In their words: It's no coincidence that the people in this country who are most affected by food insecurity have the least access and control of the production of our food. This needs to change. It is crucial that we have autonomy over our food system. The Blackyard Farm Cooperative is dedicated to disrupting the racist and exclusionary spaces that prevent Black farmers from connecting to the land and healing.

In this episode we discuss:

Why Farm internships and apprenticeships can be challenging places for young farmers of color
The power of rest and recovery
Recognizing and honoring ancestors
The creation of the Blackyard Farm
What Blackyard Farm hopes to accomplish
Individualism vs collectivism
What allies and advocates can do to support BIPOC farmers
Ashanti's favorite livestock to work with

Donate to the Blackyard Farm Collective

How to get started with Vermicomposting Mar 22, 2021

Show notes

Suzette teaches us all about vermicomposting. Landfilling garbage is becoming less and less popular, especially as we are learning about how individuals can help curb climate change. (And large corporations are most responsible, but we can also put our minds on small steps that we can take too.)

Most of us think of paper, plastic, and yard waste as garbage, but food waste is a huge percentage of the total waste stream.

Did you know that food waste contributes to greenhouse gases? And that by composting with worms, you can efficiently process food waste and turn it into nutrient-dense food for your garden.

Have you been thinking about using worms for composting? Maybe a little curious about how to do it?

In this episode you'll learn about:

The value of composting with worms
How to get worms and keep them strong
How using worms to compost your food waste is a non-violence practice
Proper maintenance and upkeep of a worm bin
How to get started at low or no cost
The secret to breeding worms

Vermicomposting can be a fun way to transform your kitchen waste into nutrient-rich food for your garden and plants. It's also really satisfying to know that you can do your part to process food and decrease greenhouse gases in our environment.

How to get started with chickens and what you need to know Mar 08, 2021

Show notes

Suzette asks Kelsey all her most pressing chicken-keeping questions in this episode. Kelsey is a self-appointed crazy chicken lady and shares all of her chicken knowledge with Suzette and our listeners.

We talk about:

How Kelsey got started with chickens
What are some of the misconceptions and myths about chicken keeping
What Kelsey's daily chicken routine looks like
What are the housing requirements for chickens?
How Kelsey built a chicken tractor and why she loves it
How do you deal with chicken poop?
Why chicken necropsies are so important
What are the medical supplies you need to have on hand for chickens?
How to care for a broody hen and let her hatch chicks

Resources mentioned:

Special thanks to our sponsor SavvyRest!

Healing generational trauma: Connecting with nature and community organizing with Curtis Lee Feb 26, 2021

Show notes

Youth programs are places where children and young adults find support and camaraderie, often looking to leaders of those programs as mentors and coaches.

Sometimes those leaders have been through their own struggles and trauma and use their experiences to guide youth toward better habits and outcomes. One such person is Curtis Lee whose harrowing story about trauma, prison, loss and leadership have made him work with nature as a way of healing trauma, teaching kids about their connection to the larger world, and conservation of our natural spaces.

Curtis Junior Lee was born in 1966 in Fresno, California and has been an Oaklander since 1970. He was 1st runner-up for the 2015-2016 Jason Guinto Award, annually given to the top after-school coordinator working within Oakland Unified School District.

He formerly served on OUSD Continued Quality Improvement Leadership Team and trained other coordinators within the city on how to improve the quality of their afterschool programs.

Additionally, he served as the Aftercare Director for Northern Light Middle School 2016-2017 school year and then went on to become its Physical Education instructor, Athletic Director, and Aftercare Director until the spring of 2020. He is currently the Program Manager for Higherground Neighborhood Development Corporation's Outdoor Adventure/Distance Learning Hub.

In this episode we discuss:

Curtis' story of being a youth community activist
How a series of decisions on one night, led to a life-altering event
Where prison time strengthened his connection to nature
His approach to calling out and healing personal and community trauma
How nature connections help at-risk youth recognize their role in conservation
How spending time in prison is only part of his story

Biculturalism and gardening, building community, and home birth with Sandrine Malary Feb 19, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, we have guest Sandrine Malary. Born and raised in Port-au-Prince, Sandrine Malary is part of a new generation of Haitian artists who maintain close ties to their motherland and its culture.

She has a degree in Psychology from the George Washington University, which she uses to relate to her community and to parent. She is a mother of 4 children. Two home-birthed in Ayiti and two in Oakland, CA. With self-sustenance as a life approach, Sandrine has homeschooled her kids, built a home garden, and created home-based online businesses as an artist and educator.

Keeping her roots strong, she dances Haitian folklore, teaches Kreyol and her art is very inspired by Vodou. Much of her focus is to uplift, not just Ayiti, but women, black people, and our planet. Sandrine advocates for green, sustainable living with a focus on health and wellness.

You can often find her walking local trails with her group "Sistas on the Trail", creating therapeutic copper jewelry for www.houseofalouba.com, or working on her upcoming vegan cookbook.

In this episode we discuss:

Sandrine's journey of coming to America from Haiti
The gardening and harvesting she does in her own backyard
Her journey into veganism and how she supplements
Sandrine and Suzette's home birth stories and tips for those interesting in a home birth

Black America's Farming Legacy - One Family's Journey Feb 09, 2021

Show notes

To honor Black America's farming legacy during Black History Month, on this episode we have guest, Mina Wilson. Mina is a community activist and public health professional who shares with us her family's legacy from their arrival in America as enslaved peoples to today. We'll be talking about family history, farming, interdependence, food sovereignty, and liberation.

Show notes:

Visiting and honoring the places of our ancestors
Leaning on family - both immediate and extended- and recognizing the power of collective thinking over individual thinking
Black legacy and recognizing the work and humanity of the enslaved as they built the wealth of our nation
The distinction in language between "salves" and "enslaved" and why it's crucial when we talk about our history
How we must recognize and dismantle the policies still in place that uphold racism in America
Oliver North and guns for drugs
How the construct of slavery is still present in modern America
Allyship vs accompliceship
When we talk about farming, why we must acknowledge and honor the enslaved
How can land access and ownership can be a way forward for allyship and accompliceship
How the mortgage industry truly started
Cross-generational consciousness and why it's crucial

"If we don't acknowledge the truth individually and collectively - there is no hope for us" -Mina Wilson

6 Winter Wellness Tips for Health and Vitality Jan 25, 2021

Show notes

In the winter we can all feel a bit "blah" so for this episode we are sharing six winter wellness tips for health and vitality. Suzette and Kelsey go through all six tips and provide actionable info to help give your winter blues a lift!

Show Notes:

What is dry brushing and how does it benefit your health
What we can learn from the seasonal fluctuations of nature
How to do self-massage to release myofascial tension and relax
Why grocery shopping and eating can be considered a practice of non-violence
Why your gratitude journaling isn't working and how you may be doing it wrong
How exercising observation helps calm your mind and why it's *NOT* meditation

Resources Mentioned:

Special thanks to our sponsor SavvyRest.

Savvy Rest offers GOTS-certified organic mattresses that are completely customizable. Choose between Soft, Medium, and Firm layers of Dunlop and/or Talalay latex to create a comfortable mattress that is made just for you. Be sure to visit Savvy Rest and use discount code POSITIVELYGREEN to save 20% on all Savvy Rest products.

Getting to know Suzette Chaumette our new cohost Jan 11, 2021

Show notes

Season 3 has launched with a warm welcome to our new cohost Suzette @reducereusesuze.

Suzette Chaumette is a public health researcher, gardener, and community activist who is on a lifelong plastic-free journey. She'll be sharing tips and tricks with you for reducing plastic in your home, office, and garden.

In this season premiere, we get to know Suzette through:

her background in biological sciences and public health
her values around intersectionality and sustainable living
how she found her way to gardening and permaculture
her work towards a more equitable future in food and community building

Kelsey and Suzette are looking forward to continuing to share our green living journey with our listeners. Together, we're a pair of sustainable living women who believe in the ethical treatment of people and the earth, the positive power of collaboration and communication, and how we as conscious consumers can be a force for good.

Ultimately we believe in the right for all of us to live healthy and abundant lives. With every episode of the Positively Green Podcast, we hope to educate and empower you to live a green life you'll love.

Everyone give Suzette a warm welcome!

Special thanks to our sponsor, Savvy Rest. Savvy Rest offers GOTS-certified organic mattresses that are completely customizable. Choose between Soft, Medium, and Firm layers of Dunlop and/or Talalay latex to create a comfortable mattress that is made just for you. Be sure to visit Savvy Rest and use discount code POSITIVELYGREEN to save 20% on all Savvy Rest products.

Catch up with Kelsey and Becca + we tried Salt Room Therapy and here's what happened Aug 13, 2020

Show notes

We're about to take a break from new podcast episodes for a while, so we wanted to have an informal chat about some life updates, what's new with us, and what we've been up to!

Plus, hear all about our halotherapy (salt room) experience! We recently visited the Salt Room Lake Country and had an awesome time. It's a holistic and natural treatment that can help with allergies, respiratory conditions, dermatitis, sinus infections, and more.

And be sure to check out our sponsor, OSEA! Use code POSITIVELYGREEN10 for $10 off your first purchase of $50+. Thanks for listening! Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe to stay up to date with all of the latest episodes. You can also follow along with us on Instagram @positivelygreenpodcast.

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