Digging In The Dirt with Kevin Gallagher

My guest now is Craig Floyd. Craig has been here on DITD several times before. I always like talking with Craig, because of his incredible knowledge of regenerative and organic growing, his work ethic and empathy for those who have less than the rest of us. Craig is retiring from running the Giving Garden in Stonington CT., which grows tons of wholesome food and gives it away.

Lori Cochran-Dougall Director of the Westport Farmers Market and Kaitlyn Kimbal Agriculture Director Cityseed, New Haven CT. join me to about farmers markets in the area, specifically the Westport Farmers market. Then Samantha Jo, Project Manager of Rewild Long Island, joins me to tell you about their upcoming Sustainable Garden Design online work shop.

Returning for the third time to “Digging in the Dirt” is my guest Dr. Carl Safina the endowed chair for Nature and Humanity at Stony Brook University and a MacArthur “genius fellowship" award winning ecologist and founder of the Safina Center and now author of a wonderful new book called "Alfie and me" - What owls know, what humans believe.

I'd like to welcome back Dr. Carl Safina from the Safina Center to Digging in the dirt. Carl has taken the story of his previous book "Alfie and Me" to another level and created a picture book for children called "Owls in our yard" !Carl is a good friend of Digging in the Dirt and WPKN radio. Dr. Safina is the endowed chair for Nature and Humanity at Stony Brook University. A MacArthur “genius fellowship" winning ecologist and founder of the Safina Center.

My next guest here on Digging in the Dirt is making his 2nd visit to talk to us about an upcoming event he is participating in on August 27th in Sag harbor. A Lifelong Conversation with the Living World in Words and Birds and Music where the urgency of life on Earth will beExpressed through various art forms. With a very intriguing group of guest speakers I believe the program is led by The performance artist Laurie Anderson, Grammy-winner Paul Winter a friend of ours here at WPKN will be there, noted nature writer and poet J. Drew Lanham (Sparrow Envy), and my guest Carl Safina.

Ryland is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Kiss the Ground. Kiss the Ground has become a premier online educational hub for regenerative agriculture, Now, a new feature Documentary called Kiss the Earth has premiered on Netflix. Narrated by Woody Harrelson, the film parallels The Kiss the ground Organizations mission to awaken people to the possibilities of regenerating our planets environment by taking care of the soil. Ryland is here to talk about it.

My guest this afternoon on “Digging in the Dirt Is the Executive Director of Sustainable CT Lynn Stoddard. Sustainable CT is a free, dynamic voluntary certification program that inspires, supports, and accelerates actions to help Connecticut communities thrive.Lynn has more than 20 years of experience in developing and implementing sustainability programs. Her Expertise is in climate change and energy, energy efficiency, environmental land use planning, recycling, waste management, sustainable farming and local food systems, and environmental policy. I invited Lynn here today because I saw that Sustainable CT. has announced the Sustainable CT 2023 Awards and Celebration.

My guest on this Digging in the Dirt is Paul Greenberg. Paul writes at the intersection of the environment and technology, seeking to help his readers escape screens and find emotional and ecological balance with their planet. He is the author of the James Beard Award-winning bestseller Four Fish and the books American Catch and The Climate Diet: 50 Simple Ways to Trim Your Carbon Footprint. He is a regular contributor to The New York Times and currently hosts the podcast Fish Talk.

My guest today on Digging in the Dirt is Naomi Oreskes a Professor of the History of Science, at Harvard and the author of many books, most notably Merchants of doubt and Why trust science?Professor Oreskes is one of the leading critics of Exxon and the oil and gas industry in general as they conduct what she says is their decades old campaign to finance Climate change denialism and thwart any attempts to address the climate crisis the world now faces. The professor recently appeared before the US Congress twice testifying on the practices of the Oil & gas industry and In 2014, Oreskes had the opportunity to meet Pope Francis at a special meeting at the Vatican on climate change and sustainability, and in 2015 wrote the introduction to the Melville House edition of the Papal Encyclical on Climate Change and Inequality, Laudato Si’.

My guest today on DITD is Professor Naomi Oreskes who along with her colleague Erik Conway are bestselling authors of the book Merchants of Doubt…about the machinations of the fossil fuel industry, and now they have a new tome called the “The Big Myth” which is a startling history of one of America's most tenacious--and destructive--false ideas: the myth of the "free market."

Leah Penniman, author of Farming While Black and co-founder of Soul Fire Farm. She is a Black Kreyol farmer, author, mother, and food justice activist who has been tending the soil and organizing for an anti-racist food system for 25 years.Leah returns to DITD to talk to me about her new book that is called Black Earth Wisdom - soulful conversations with black environmentalists. It’s been said that Leah weaves together the lessons from today’s most respected Black environmentalists, those who have cultivated the skill of listening to the lessons that Earth has whispered to them.

My guest on this segment of DITD today is Edwina Von Gal. In 2013 she founded the Perfect Earth Project. Promoting toxic-free lawns and landscapes for the health of people, their pets, and the planet. Edwina is here today to talk to me about her latest project. “ 2/3s for the birds.” Its an initiative launched by this environmental activist her nonprofit to help us move toward Healthy Landscapes, Healthy Birds, Healthy Us.

Chuck Collins of climatecriminals.org is my guest on this "Digging in the Dirt". Chuck is here to talk about why he believes It’s time to name the names of the individuals delaying climate action and financing the climate crisis, so they can be held accountable.Chuck Collins is an American author and a senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, DC, where he directs the Program on Inequality and the Common Good. His latest book is a novel, “Altar to an Erupting Sun,” an eco-fiction exploration of the causes of climate disruption.Climate accountability

My guests on this segment are Anne Biklé and David R. Montgomery Authors of a new book entitled "What Your Food ate: How to Heal Our Land and Reclaim Our Health. Far too many of us remain poorly nourished despite eating more than enough food.It's your premise that the soil health is so poor that the food is not nutritious. Something that modern nutritional analysis overlooks are things like phytochemicals, micro minerals and other nutrients. My guests explain why and what we should do to address the problem.

My guests on this episode of Digging in the Dirt are The authors Troy Vettese and Drew Pendergrass who have written a new book entitled Half - Earth Socialism: A Plan to Save the Future from Extinction, Climate Change and Pandemics. We discuss what the issues are that face the planet and humanity and how we are going to deal with the very real crises that are coming our way.Troy Vettese is an environmental historian who specializes in environmental economics, animal studies, and energy history. Troy writes on a wide array of environmental topics for a popular audience, and has had essays published in the Guardian, Boston Review and the New Statesman, among others. Drew Pendergrass is a PhD student in Environmental Engineering at Harvard University. His current research uses satellite, aircraft and surface observations of the environment to correct supercomputer models of the atmosphere. His environmental writing has been published in Harper’s, the Guardian and Current Affairs.

I'm here with the winner of the 5th annual Bill Duesing Organic Living on the Earth Award, Michael Nadeau. Michael is one of the leading authorities in the field of sustainable organic and ethical land care strategies in the United States. He is sought after for creating attractive sustainable and restorative environments using organic practices that respect the ecology of the property and reflect the philosophy of the client. Michael’s organic and sustainable holistic land care approach carefully maximizes wildlife habitat with specific plantings and techniques, improving the overall health of land, water, and wildlife. He is a co-founder of CT NOFA’s Organic Land Care program and owner of a organic land care consulting business.www.michaelnadeau.org/

Today I have a little something different for DITD. Most who follow me know me as a hardcore environmentalist, but something you may not know is I’m also a big Sci-fi reader. That is why I have author Ray Nayler here today . He has written the critically acclaimed novel THE MOUNTAIN IN THE SEA, that covers a lot bases with me. Winner of the LOCUS AWARD FOR BEST FIRST NOVEL THE MOUNTAIN IN THE SEA was A FINALIST FOR THE LA TIMES BOOK AWARDS', THE RAY BRADBURY PRIZE AND THE NEBULA AWARD.

My guests today are all doing great things for the Long Island sound. Dr. Sarah Crosby, who is a marine ecologist trained inconservation science with extensive experience in coastal and marine ecosystems. Kat Cuzco of the Lobster trap team has worked as a marine science educator at Project Oceanology since 2019. At Project O. She also works on the Lobster Trap Recovery and Assessment Partnership (L-TRAP). Also Bill Lucey, a sound keeper for Save The Sound. We are here to discuss the problem of 10’s of thousands of Abandoned lobster traps in Long Island Sound.lobster trapsGhost TrapsL-Trap ProjectProject OceanologySave the SoundNorwalk Maritime AquariumLong Island Sound

Today's guest on "Digging in the Dirt" is Susan Vogel. Susan is a board member of the Norwalk River Watershed Association working to restore and expand native habitats along the waterways in her area known as "riparian buffers". She has lived in Connecticut for almost 30 years and currently calls Norwalk home.

Lisa Shanahan is the President of the Norwalk Land Trust, an organization that provides an important education function to Norwalk along with preserving open spaces. She is Chair of the Ordinance Committee of the Norwalk Common Council. She is here to Tell us, among other developments, about the new Gas Leaf Blower ordinance in Norwalk.

My guest this episode on DITD will be Ellen Montgomery the Director of the Public Lands Campaign for Environment America. Environment America is Working together with many organizations on a myriad of environmental issues . We be talking about EA's efforts to preserve the U.S ‘s old growth forests from logging because they are one of our best defenses against the warming of the planet.

I'd like to welcome to Digging in the Dirt, Kaitlyn Kimball Director of agriculture for CitySeed up in New Haven. CitySeed has a mission to create a healthy, sustainable, and just food system for all.” We will be talking about CitySeed's fabulous Farmers Markets.Kaitlyn is also Owner of Sunset Organic farm in Naugatuck Ct. with Lawrence Passeck . Sunset is a USDA CertifiedOrganic vegetable and flower farm focused on sustainability and community.

Director of Agriculture at CitySeed in New Haven which we talked about on a previous segment which you can hear in our podcasts section if you missed it. Kaitlyn is Owner of Sunset Organic farm in Naugatuck Ct. she is back to talk to me now about some of the issues farmers are facing due to some of this extraordinary weather many of us are experiencing.

Organic farmer Kaitlyn Kimball is my guest on this show.Kaitlyn is Owner of Sunset Organic farm in Naugatuck Ct. with her husband Lawrence Passeck. Sunset is a USDA Certified Organic vegetable and flower farm focused on sustainability and community. Kaitlyn is also Director of Agriculture at CitySeed in New Haven. CitySeed has a mission to "create a healthy, sustainable, and just food system for all.”

My guest is E. Hardy Kern lll, The Director of Government relations pesticides and Birds Campaign for the American Bird Conservancy. Hardy will address “Neonics” Neonicotinoids, the New DDT pesticide and it’s threat to birds. The American Bird Conservancy is a non-profit membership organization with the mission of conserving wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. Its focus is on threats to birds in the Western Hemisphere – threats which include overuse of pesticides, urban sprawl, habitat destruction, and invasive species.

I'd like you to welcome to Digging in the Dirt Brad Kurtz Vineyard Director of Gloria Ferrer vineyards. Brad has led his winery into becoming a leader in sustainable and regenerative practices within the California sparkling market. Brad focuses on sustainable agricultural programs and technology to advance wine quality across a broad range of varietals and vineyard sites. Brad is here to talk about all that….. as well the fact that Gloria Ferrer recently was named winner of the California Green medal.

My guest on this edition of "Digging in the Dirt" is Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science at Penn State Michael E. Mann who has come back for his 3rd visit to DITD to talk with me about his new book The New Climate war the Fight to take back our planet. It’s a timely analysis of where we are at in the debate over climate warming and recent current events in our society that are changing the playing field in favor of the planets ecosystem.

If your in your 20's or 30's and you're already thinking about owning a home in a coastal community, you need to listen to my interview with Jeff Goodell, because by the time your ready to retire, living near the water could be radically different than today. Jeff's new book, The "Water will Come, Rising Seas, Sinking cities, and the remaking of the Civilized World," has been described as "A frightening, scientifically grounded, and starkly relevant look at how climate change will affect Coastal cities." The book is full of tales of people dealing with sea rise right now in 2017.

My guest on this edition of "Digging in the Dirt" is world known Innovative farmer and Consultant Mark Fulford. Mark has traveled the world to learn more about age old practices of farming that he brings back to his farm in Maine and shares with anyone who wants to listen. Check out the wisdom of Mark Fulford on "Digging in the Dirt"

My guest today on Digging in the Dirt is Dina Brewster. Dina was the Executive Director of The Northeast Organic Farming Association of Connecticut (CT NOFA), she owns The Hickories a one acre vegetable garden and has overseen the development of new products and new acreage as the family business has grown. Committed to connecting people with working land, Dina chose to return to her family's farm in Ridgefield and start the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Program, one that still exists as the backbone of the farm's business plan.

My next guest on DITD is Nicholas Money. NIK is is a gentleman of letters, mycologist, and professor at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He most recently authored the book “The Selfish Ape: Human Nature and Our Path to Extinction. The selfish Ape explores human genetics, reproduction, brain function, and aging,... viewing man as a brilliantly inventive, yet a very self-destructive animal. This is a book about human biology, the intertwined characteristics of human greatness and failure and the way that we have plundered the biosphere.

World-renowned leader in soil microbiology, Dr. Elaine Ingham joins Kevin to discuss the Soil Foodweb. . Dr Ingham is founder, president, and director of research for Soil Foodweb. Elaine has dedicated her career to exploring the organisms which make up the soil food web, with the goal of translating this knowledge into practical actions that ensure a healthy ecosystem that promotes plant growth and reduces reliance on inorganic chemicals.

My guest on this episode of Digging in the Dirt is Director Rob Herring who along with Ryan Wirick Directed wrote and produced the film “The Need to Grow” which lays out the many issues of modern industrial farming and what it will take to change over to a more sustainable, regenerative system of growing our food.

My guest on this segment of DITD is Organic Certification Inspector, ethnobotanist and educator, Mark Cohen....... Mark, lives in Southern Ohio at Far Valley Farm a 30 year old intentional community he helped co-found....... he grows a wide range of crops, seeds,honey, mushrooms and medicinals. Mark also founded the agroforestry Research in Belize where he lived for 25 winters, practicing and teaching tropical permaculture. Mark not only is an expert in these areas he lives it.

Research shows that meteorologists are trusted messengers on climate change. The majority of weather people understand that climate change is real and that the science of climate change needs to be communicated to the public. To my mind, there seems to be a dearth of reporting on our climate crisis on the drive time news and Climate Central is one organization out to change that. My guest Sean Sublette is an award-winning meteorologist working at Climate Central on their Climate Matters program, bringing 19 years of experience as a broadcast meteorologist. Climate Central is an independent organization of leading scientists and journalists researching and reporting the facts about our changing climate and its impact on the public.

Dave Chapman runs Long Wind Farm in Vermont and is a Co-Director of the Real Organic Project. He is a founding member of the Vermont Organic Farmers. He has been active in the movement to Keep The Soil In Organic. He is proud to be a current member of the Policy Committee of the Organic Farmers Association. He served on the USDA Hydroponic Task Force.

My guest today is Mary Swander is an Author, Dramatist, Performer, Speaker, Teacher. An emerita Distinguished Professor of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Swander taught creative writing for thirty years at Iowa State University and She is the Executive Director of AgArts, a nonprofit designed to imagine and promote healthy food systems through the arts. She is here to talk to me about the many projects that keep her busy.

My guest on this ‘Digging in the dirt’ is Leah Penniman a Farmer and Co -Director and Program Manager of Soul Fire farm in upstate New York is author of the new book “Farming while Black”. A comprehensive “how to” guide that is specifically aimed at African-heritage growers seeking healthy food independence and reclaiming their place in American Agriculture.Karen Washington founder of the Garden of Happiness in the Bronx and the national organization of Black Urban Growers, says'Farming while Black' encourages us to reach for greatest and settle for nothing less. Know your history. Share and tell our stories. Pay respect and honor our elders. Pass on the gift of knowledge and fortitude to our youth. Find strength in family and community, but above all love one another, love the Earth, and be true to one’s self.

My guest on this epiisode of "Digging in the Dirt" is Michael Astera, author of “The Ideal Soil: and small businessman in the business of providing Agricola 4-8-4, a top quality Mineralized organic fertilizer with an array of minerals, minerals and more minerals. Listen in to really tweak the quality of your soil and grow quality vegetables. www.soilminerals.com/

Kevin's guest this episode is Ray Archuleta, a retired Soil Health Specialist and Conservation Agronomist with the USDA. He has recently co-founded "The Soil Academy" to teach Biomimicry strategies and Agroecology principles for improving soil function on a national scale.

My guest on this segment of DITD is Victor DeMasi. Victor is a self described citizen scientist. Victor was a wetland conservation officer in his hometown of Redding CT for 20 years and is presently a curatorial affiliate at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History in New Haven. He busies himself with preserving open space in town and preserving butterflies in the museum. His field work with butterflies contributed almost a thousand citations to the recently published Connecticut Butterfly Atlas. He has contributed articles to scientific publications and his mark-recapture studies with Swallowtail butterflies was recently cited in the book Swallowtails of the Americas.

My guest on Digging in the Dirt is Filmmaker and passionate naturalist John Feldman. John has a wonderful documentary entitled Symbiotic Earth, "How Lynn Margulis rocked the boat and started a scientific revolution." Symbiotic Earth is about the maverick scientist Lynn Margulis, where John combines his lifelong passions for film making and the natural sciences. This is a deep film, touching on a lot of subjects that our species and planet is dealing with today. Lot's of food for thought.

My guest on this program is Dr. Sande Beddoe A leading authority on Dr. Carey A. Reams' Biological Theory of Ionization and how it applies to soil, plant, animal and human nutrition. Whether you grow veggies for fun or are a corporate agricultural operation covering thousands of acres, you can have a part in changing the health of the world, if you understand how to grow the highest quality (brix content) food possible. And whether you are a mother feeding a family or a health professional analyzing the lifestyle and wellness of thousands of clients or patients, the Reams' Biological Theory of Ionization provides the only way to truly understand the cause and effect behind those illusive health challenges we refer to as dis-ease.

My next guest has been here many times before. He is Dan Kittredge. Dan is a Farmer, founder and Executive Director of the Bionutrient Food . Dan is here to talk about what's going with on with the BFA's "Real Food Campaign" and the their upcoming annual Soil and Nutrition conference in November.

My next guest on Digging in the Dirt has been here before. Bryan is a master vegetable Farmer. Bryan and I cross paths at various conferences now and then and I have gotten to know what high regard Bryans knowledge of growing is held in. .Bryan O’Hara has been growing vegetables on his Connecticut farm, Tobacco Road for over 25 years. He speaks throughout the Northeast on vegetable production techniques and is known for providing “mountains of details in a concise, practical, and cohesive manner.” His farm produces high quality, nutrient-dense food using no pesticides and working with nature as much as possible in a close relationship. With an intensive focus on building the health of the soil, he employs no-till natural farming methods and now he's written it all down for you in his new book/manual entitled. No-till intensive vegetable Culture... Pesticide-Free methods for restoring soil and growing Nutrient-Rich High yielding Crops. His book is an exhaustively comprehensive manual on how to grow vegetables.

Kevin is joined by Jon Betz of Collective Mind Films, to talk about his gorgeous, maddening new film Seed: The Untold Story. Here is what the directors, Taggert Siegel and Jon have to say about their new effort."For years, we have passionately made films that reveal our deep connection to nature and our food. The Real Dirt on Farmer John (2005), tells the story of a maverick farmer who saves his family farm against all odds. Queen of the Sun: What Are the Bees Telling Us? (2010) investigates the mysterious colony collapse disorder ravaging honeybees around the world. Our latest film, SEED: The Untold Story began with an article in National Geographic reported that up to 96% of the vegetable seeds available in 1903 have disappeared. Within moments we knew that was our next film. The speed and scope of this loss is staggering, and its implications for our future are stark.... As we filmed seed savers, farmers, scientists and indigenous communities for SEED, we were struck by how little their voices are heard. SEED presents audiences with a hidden fabric of our food, the people that painstakingly and meticulously curate the diversity of our food. The film charts a David and Goliath battle as these marginalized people fight the large corporate power of chemical companies that now control the majority of our food.

I was very pleased to have Craig LeHoullier as my guest here on "Digging in the Dirt". Craig is one of the best tomato growers and seed savers in the country, having gone so far as to give the heirloom tomato, Cherokee Purple it's name and write a couple of books, one of which is the fabulous “Epic Tomatoes” It's a great resource book for any level grower. Join two tomato fanatics as we talk about summers culinary delight, HOME GROWN, Tomatoes.

Diggng in the Dirt" Monday Feb 10th at 5 pm, My In studio guest on Digging in the Dirt will be Dan Martens Vice President of Novamont North America. He is a Board Member on the Council of Canadian Composters, Board Member Biodegradable Products institute, Advisory Board Member 5-year USDA SCRI Compostable Product in Soil Study, Winner Innovation of Bioplastics Award 2019 and something he is most proud of, he holds a UConn Master Composter Certificate. Novamont is a maker of bulk compostable Bio Plastics among other products. These materials are turned into all kinds of eco-friendly products such as compostable produce bags for your veggies.

Aubree Keurajian Aubree is an ecologist from central Connecticut, and the founder of Ungardening Native Plants, a small scale nursery and yard consultation service working to make the tools and ideas of ecological restoration accessible to all. She has a bachelor's degree in Systems Ecology from Cornell University, and worked in the public, private, and academic sectors doing ecological research and environmental restoration before founding "Ungardening".

My guest on this DITD is author Robin l. Avant a local lady who lives here in Bridgeport and is Academic Dean at Housatonic Community College. Robin is an enthusiastic gardener. So much so, she has written a lovely, personal book called “The spirit of Gardening” Gardening for new Bees, the life revealed through gardening.