The Good Dirt: Sustainable Living Explained

April Gargiulo, founder of the skin-care company Vintner's Daughter, closes the loop between winemaking, soil health and sustainable skincare, as she tells the story of the slow beauty company she created to reflect her desire for quality, love for the earth, and production with an old-world mindset. April works from the foundation that fewer and better products are the remedy to a market built for overconsumption, and approaches skincare with the attitude of a winemaker: focusing on whole...

Fiber farmer Lisa Mitchell encourages listeners to embrace a beginner’s mindset and connect to the earth through handwork and making as she tells us the story of her major life shift, from striving for success as an art therapist in the suburbs, to slow living on a guanaco farm in the Pacific Northwest. Guanacos, the undomesticated ancestors of the alpaca, produce a unique and high-quality wool, but are often challenging to work with, and are not commonly farmed in the United States. In the...

Learn about individual actions you can take to mitigate climate change and make sustainability attainable for everyone, with Stephanie Miller, author of Zero Waste Living the 80/20 Way and founder of Zero Waste in DC. Stephanie left her job as a climate change specialist for the World Bank in order to simplify her own life, confront the disconnect she felt between her life and her work, and to take personal steps toward sustainability. She now empowers others in her community to examine...

Join us in this conversation about the ins and outs of sustainable fashion, how it has evolved over the last decade and where it might be headed. In this episode, Shannon Lohr, sustainable fashion expert and founder of Factory 45, discusses her own journey in apparel production and her subsequent launch of Factory 45 as an online business school for entrepreneurs launching ethical, sustainable fashion brands. Shannon teaches courses on the entire process of brand development, from...

Challenge yourself to think a little deeper about what you buy with Rose and Doug Phillips of Conscious Clothing as they talk slow fashion, conscious consumption, staying authentic as business owners, and the “hearts and minds campaign,” encouraging consumers to delve into the impact of their purchasing power. Founded in Michigan in 2006, Conscious Clothing designs and creates beautiful, sustainable, and ethically sourced staple garments to complement a capsule wardrobe - all sewn in the...

It’s #fashionrevolutionweek! We have a special bonus episode up for you today where we're chatting about our own personal stories regarding shopping, clothing, and the slow fashion journey. Tune in to listen to us chat about the ongoing fight against fast fashion, the beacon of hope that is slow living, and how to get in on the fashion revolution movement! Never miss an episode of The Good Dirt! https://slkt.io/V5it (Opt-in HERE) to get a text from us whenever a new episode drops ✨ 🌿...

What do heritage livestock breeds have to do with sustainable and regenerative farming practices? For Aliza Eliazarov, photography was the discipline that helped her to confront the disconnect she felt with her relationship to her food sources and the land, and opened the door to the importance of preserving heritage breeds and supporting the regenerative farms that are raising them. Join us as we talk with Aliza, author of “On the Farm” a photo book about heritage livestock breeds, about...

Learn to make space for what truly makes you happy using the power of refusal and conscious choice, with Danielle Alvarado of Sustainably Kind Living. Danielle’s educational online collective for the conscious consumer provides alternative resources to the harmful fast fashion, home, and beauty industries. Moved by the horrific stories she heard first hand from garment workers in Southeast Asia, Danielle found her calling by advocating for sustainable fashion and for a rejection of harmful...

Slow sustainable fashion meets yoga in this heart opening episode with our dear Lady Farmer friend, Amanda Agricola. A true renaissance woman, Amanda is the creator of Flowy, a sustainable slow fashion brand providing comfortable, naturally dyed garments for yoga and life, using materials that bring a consciousness to how we cover our bodies. As an artist and entrepreneur, Amanda brings a thoughtful and intentional eye to her products, empowering her customers energetically while also...

Tune in to this weeks bonus episode with Mary & Emma in our discussion of “product fatigue,” that feeling of overwhelm with all the things on our shelves and under our sinks requiring end-of-use decisions about the packaging and containers. Despite our efforts to purchase sustainably and reduce waste, things seem to pile up and we are left wondering what to do with the remains. With “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle” being the mantra for sustainable waste management, how do we decide which is most...

Join this "fruitful" and enlightening conversation with tree crops specialist, horticultural historian and agroforestry practitioner Eliza Greenman as she explains the evolution of the apple, horticultural tree crop history and shares her love for fruit exploring. A creator of niche products, Eliza is passionate owner of charcuterie company, HogTree, and is working towards the goal of creating orchard systems that function symbiotically with livestock to replace costly livestock feed. After...

Step into the world of collaborative art, natural textiles, plants, botanicals and slow fashion with owner entrepreneur and artist Megan Borukhovsky of Sister Nettle. As a mother and artist living in the hills of Tennessee, Megan’s work centers around natural textiles using botanicals, creating slow fashion with a “collaboration over competition” mindset. Sister Nettle strives to offer products that are fulfilling to both the makers and the recipients, creating a beautiful and reciprocal...

Discover the power of the potluck as a community forum for the New Agrarian Revival, a movement based in the Bedford, Va. area that offers inspiration for deeply rooted living, cultivating the local food economy and community connection. Our guest today, Jason Fowler, is founder and organizer of Land and Table, an organization that sponsors a monthly potluck event for farmers and like-minded local food enthusiasts, and offers a unique opportunity to gather for a shared meal in an evermore...

Discover author Julia Watkins' light and loving approach to gardening and to slow living as she shares her perspective on parenting, work, and finding joy and compassion in the midst of it all. As an author, photographer, fellow slow living enthusiast, and Lady Farmer friend, Julia has a wealth of knowledge about how to cultivate a slow and beautiful life in a way that is honest and approachable. Her new book, Gardening for Everyone is a beautiful guide to planning, planting and playing in...

This week we spoke with historian, nonprofit founder, and author Tony Cohen, who operates Button Farm, Maryland’s only living history center depicting 19th-century slave plantation life and the heroic story of the Underground Railroad. Tony has dedicated his studies and work to preserving the Underground Railroad’s history, historic sites and environments. In this episode, he shares with us stories of his own travels along the Underground Railroad on foot, in an effort to recreate some of...

Discover the wonders of forest agriculture and agroecology with our guest Lincoln Smith, founder of Forested, an edible food forest devoted to sharing research and knowledge surrounding forest gardens through tours, classes and forest to table dinners. As a champion of good dirt, Lincoln believes that growing forest gardens as a form of environmentalism can reintegrate our lives with nature, and reestablish a connection to the forest as a food source. Having trained in landscape design,...

Tune in today for a brief check-in & wrap up from Mary & Emma on the progress of the Lady Farmer 2022 Slow Living Challenge, and to discuss this week's final focus and theme. Sign up for the Slow Living Challenge https://my.captivate.fm/www.ladyfarmer.com/slowlivingchallenge (HERE). Follow Us: https://lady-farmer.com/blogs/the-good-dirt-podcast (Our Website) @weareladyfarmer on https://www.instagram.com/thegooddirtph/ (Instagram) Original music by John Kingsley @jkingsley1026 Sowing seeds of...

Join us for this conversation with author, mother, model and beauty entrepreneur Jesse Golden of The Golden Secrets, as she shares her story of creating a sustainable skincare product line, and her tools for creating self love and healing, all while living with chronic illness. As founder and CEO, Jesse has created a multifaceted career with integrity by embracing natural products, ancient folklore and a sensorial and soulfully slow approach to beauty. From seed to skin, Jesse fostered a...

Tune in today for a brief check-in from Mary & Emma on the progress of the Lady Farmer 2022 Slow Living Challenge, and to discuss this week's focus theme. Sign up for the Slow Living Challenge https://my.captivate.fm/www.ladyfarmer.com/slowlivingchallenge (HERE). Follow Us: https://lady-farmer.com/blogs/the-good-dirt-podcast (Our Website) @weareladyfarmer on https://www.instagram.com/thegooddirtph/ (Instagram) Original music by John Kingsley @jkingsley1026 Sowing seeds of slow living is our...

Step back in time with living history fellow and historical baker, Justin Cherry, founder and owner of Half Crown Bakehouse, as he shares his love for nutrient rich ancient grains and 18th century bread baking methods. With his 18th century reproduction clay oven in tow, Justin travels to historic sites along the east coast of North America sharing his expertise on period correct methods and flavors, as well as, educating his patrons on the history and evolution of ancient grains and their...