The Sustainable Living Podcast

A solo episode about life priorities and that sometimes we can't keep up with a schedule - even if it is full of projects and tasks which bring us joy. Jenise needs a bit of a break. She is a caretaker for her elderly mother and that takes so much time and energy. Marianne is at the same examining where she can do less in the different areas of her life - and at the same time add more to her plate. A constant shifting of focus and priorities. Visit our blog/website at http://www.sustainablelivingpodcast.com/ If you like our show, we appreciate your support of any amount on Patreon

We are at Podcast Movement and learning every minute. A new episode will be there for you next week. Have a wonderful week!! We love you!!

Let us know what you think! Give us feedback and tell us topics you like to hear from us. Let us know!!! Email us at [email protected] Support us on Patreon! David Perrodin, PhD left a high paying, high-status position without a plan. He shares his personal story of transformation for the first time. David went from an angry and very unhealthy man with a great paycheck to a happy and healthy person. He found many opportunities and experiences coming his way he never imagined possible. And he does not miss that high paycheck and status at all. The life he now has allows him time to spend with his family and time to pursue things he enjoys. David hosts his own podcast, has co-written and co-produced a movie, rides his bike and is writing a book. He finds time to help his neighbors and can't wait to see what other adventures will present himself. David Perrodin, PhD, worked twelve years as a Director of Student Services before exiting the profession in 2014 to focus exclusively on researching school safety and high-stakes decision-making in conjunction with his doctoral dissertation at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. As an expert in safety preparedness and response, Dr. Perrodin has presented on television, in schools and at conferences. In 2016, he partnered with Pulitzer Prize-winning author and producer David Obst to write and direct a script involving an intruder in an elementary school setting. Dr. Perrodin produces a weekly safety show called "The Safety Doc Podcast". He is under contract with publishing house Rowman & Littlefield to author a book about the remarkable rescue of 500,000 people from Lower Manhattan on September 11, 2001. The book, titled "Lessons of Lower Manhattan" will be released in early 2018. Follow Dr. Perrodin: SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/user-186592129 iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-safety-doc-podcast/id1209802253?mt=2 SUBSCRIBE to "The Safety Doc" YouTube channel https://youtu.be/FOKS89Vfaa4 The 405 Media http://the405media.com/the-safety-doc/ PERRODIN'S SAFETY BLOG https://crisisprepconsulting.wordpress.com/ SAFETY DOC WEBSITE safetyphd.com Follow David & The Safety Doc Podcast on Twitter @SafetyPhD Email Dr. Perrodin [email protected] How to reach us: Website: Sustainable Living Podcast We appreciate your support! You can do so on Patreon. Here is how. Go to the Patreon Homepage. Create an account. You will need a name (can be an avatar), an email address, a password and a credit card. This should only take a few minutes. Then look for us and pledge away. Thank you! Join our Facebook group Sustainable Living Tips, Tools and Tactics. Apple Podcasts: Please Rate, Review and Subscribe Facebook Page Instagram Twitter YouTube Channel Google+ LinkedIn

Episode 109 Are homesteaders just moochers living off of "civil" society? A recent opinion piece in Forbes magazine suggests that they are. And a brilliant homesteading blogger named Daisy Luther of The Organic Prepper blog, articulately countered the argument on Zero Hedge. I read Daisy's article and thought it would make for an interesting discussion on our latest episode of the podcast. But first Marianne and I share a little bit about how we are "mooching" on our respective homesteads! August Update Marianne is tired of hand watering her plants and is making plans for installing a watering system in her garden. She wants to create a watering grid to "just hydrate everything." And she talks about a sustainability-oriented company she's considering for sourcing this watering system. I'm excited about my recent sheet mulching project. Looking at all the weeds in between my raised beds got old. So after collecting cardboard from friends and neighbors, I covered the weeds with it. Then I topped the cardboard with lots of straw. If you'd like a gander at how it turned out, check out my posts on our Facebook Page and on our Instagram account. Now on to the diatribe against homesteaders. Reality TV vs Reality Like so many articles out there these days, the Forbes piece on homesteaders seemed outrageous, incendiary and ill-informed. And it was posted in a "reputable" publication - Forbes magazine. As Marianne and I note, basing your opinion of a group purely on the caricatures painted by so-called "reality" T.V. shows, might not be such a great idea. The author of the Forbes piece, an economist named Adam Ozimek, summarizes his case in this paragraph: "If we all lived "self-reliant" lives like Tony often implores us, spending most of our time on basic agricultural subsistence, then modern hospitals couldn't exist. It's only because most of us choose to not live agrarian "self-reliant" lifestyles that this care would be available to Tony, Amelia, and perhaps someday, their children. And what if both of them become too injured to work the land anymore? Would they starve to death, or would they survive off of the social safety net our government provides, like food stamps?" One might also conclude that if we all lived "healthy" lifestyles then modern hospitals couldn't exist. But should we all endeavor to be ill so that hospitals can continue on? Health, Happiness and "The Economy" A more advanced society might encourage whatever it takes for people to be healthier and happier, even if it's at the expense of large institutions such as hospitals and big Pharma. In such a case, health care might very well be transformed into something much less costly and much more effective. And smaller communities of people, who know and help each other on a regular basis, might find their own ways of taking care of less fortunate community members, in a much more heart-centered manner. From what I've seen homesteaders are by and large, happier than the majority of the population. But this happy lifestyle is threatening to our established system. As Daisy Luther puts it in her rebuttal: "The fact is, the less we require from society, the less power that society has over us. Our lifestyles give us some distance from the hustle and the bustle. We don't have to make as much money because we don't live in the consumer matrix that engulfs so much of society. We are content to live simply instead of hustling from one non-productive activity to another." And this makes us happier. But should we give up this happiness so that the system can continue? Homesteaders & Freedom The truth is, homesteaders generally contribute to the "system" just like everyone else. We pay our taxes and, to varying degrees, choose to partake in government and institutional programs like the rest of the population. The difference is, we have more freedom to choose what we participate in and support. I believe a populace that is free to choose, is an empowered populace - an important check on government and corporations and a powerful aspect of our future as a society. And the freedom to do things differently is vital if we want our species and our planet to evolve. What do you think? Are homesteaders mooching? Are they the pioneers of the future? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Let us know what you think! Feedback and topics you like to hear from us. Let us know. Email us at [email protected] Support us on Patreon! Candida van Rood aka Candy Spender has become a friend via social media and now even more so through this podcast. We connected through expressing strong feelings about how to mother children and found so much more common ground. Our fathers fought in the second World War and were prisoners of war. We grew up with a resource aware attitude. We are both Geminis We feel that children deserve a village to raise them. We read many of the same books. Permaculture and so much more I f you want to reach Candy, visit our website for contact info How to reach us: Website: Sustainable Living Podcast We appreciate your support! You can do so on Patreon. Here is how. Go to the Patreon Homepage. Create an account. You will need a name (can be an avatar), an email address, a password and a credit card. This should only take a few minutes. Then look for us and pledge away. Thank you! Join our Facebook group Sustainable Living Tips, Tools and Tactics. Apple Podcasts: Please Rate, Review and Subscribe Facebook Page Instagram Twitter YouTube Channel Google+ LinkedIn

We're back with some EASY sustainable tips from our listeners today! A personal story But before we get into them, Marianne shares a personal story about an issue she's been going through regarding health care. Virtually all of us have experienced a health scare, at one time or another. We get stressed and so do our loved ones. But too often that stress is exacerbated by insurance and health care professionals laboring under a system that is NOT heart centered. Many of us can relate to Marianne's frustration - a feeling that is not very conducive to healing. But we keep moving forward, with an eye toward creating new systems that have compassion and the benefit of human kind as the goal. When it rains it pours! Marianne also needed to get new flooring for her bathroom and, being the dedicated sustainable living geek that she is, she went on a quest to find sustainable flooring. What she learned really surprised me. Did you know that linoleum is a pretty sustainable source for flooring? I didn't! Marianne chose linoleum for her bathroom floor and she outlines why in our discussion. But getting it wasn't as easy as you might think. These days many flooring stores are selling vinyl flooring instead and vinyl has a lot of un-sustainable issues. Marianne recounts her experience of being told a particular material was linoleum, when it turned out to be vinyl. EASY sustainable living tips On our path to becoming completely zero-waste, the road is littered with packaging. As dedicated sustainable living geeks, we want to reduce that packaging as much as possible. These tips from listeners like you, will help. We cover the importance of reducing packaging; different ways to reuse packaging; and, of course, ways to eliminate it. Many of these tips are centered around food packaging. And two big ways to reduce it that also enhance life in many ways, are growing your own food and cooking at home. There's something very special about both of these practices that often makes for a much happier, healthier and more satisfying life. Please let us know what you liked about this episode and what topics you think we should cover in the future. And please, keep those awesome sustainable living tips coming!

Episode 106 The future of humanity may very well rest on the success of the small, sustainable farm. If that sounds like a severe exaggeration to you, consider the following: Industrial agriculture uses excessive amounts of chemical pesticides, herbicides and hormones that end up in what we eat, drink and breathe Factory farms and industrial slaughterhouses often create unsanitary conditions that cause food contamination, sickening 76 million people in the U.S. yearly. Topsoil erosion and aquifer depletion caused by industrial agriculture undermines genetic diversity, and pollutes air, water, and soil with toxic chemicals, causing $34.7 billion in environmental damage annually in the U.S. alone. Management of animal waste at factory farms often contaminates nearby soil and water with pathogens, heavy metals, and excess nutrients that can sicken neighboring residents. Industrial agriculture contaminates ground and surface water with toxic pesticide and fertilizer runoff, hormone and antibiotics residue, heavy metals and harmful pathogens. Industrial farming often results in dead soil due to extensive plowing, constant planting and reliance on toxic chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Routine use of toxic pesticides by industrial agriculture pollutes air, soil and water, and damages human health. Antibiotics regularly fed to industrially raised animals to promote growth and keep them alive in unsanitary conditions contributes to the creation of antibiotic resistant bacteria, an increasing threat to human health. Hormones routinely fed to livestock in factory farms have been linked to illness in animals and humans. Genetically engineered monoculture crop systems favored by industrial farms drain nutrients from the land, allow pests and disease to flourish and undermine genetic diversity. Large amounts of fossil fuel are required to plow fields, transport foods over long distances, and produce fertilizers on industrial farms. Factory farmed animals are subjected to cruel and unsanitary conditions that cause widespread disease and aggressive behavior. Factory farms hire as few workers as possible and do little to support the local economy. Industrial and factory farm workers often endure unhealthy and dangerous working conditions for unlivable wages and are denied access to unions, overtime pay, safety training and worker compensation. The Small, Sustainable Farm It's clear that damage done to humans, animals and Mother Earth by industrial farming is massive and if left unchecked, could spell disaster for all three. But small, sustainable farmers are changing this paradigm. In her book "Why We Farm: Stories of Farmers from the Capay Valley" Elvira Di'Brigit shares accounts of small farmers drawn to a Northern California community to grow food as serious "stewards of the land." In this episode of the podcast, Elvira and I discuss how these amazing farmers have found success using sustainable growing techniques and non-traditional business models that connect them directly to consumers. Farming is hard work and small farmers face many obstacles not shared by their industrial counterparts. But these folks revel in it and enjoy their lives in the Capay Valley. It makes me wonder why. Is it the joy of using their ingenuity to solve problems in novel ways? Is it the satisfaction of knowing their work is helping to heal people and the planet? Or is it just the peaceful, bucolic life in the Capay Valley? Perhaps all three. If you'd like to learn more about these fascinating farmers, you can pre-order Elvira's book here. You can follow Elvira's work and connect with her online at the following sites: Facebook.com/WhyWeFarm Facebook.com/CapayValleyGrown Instagram.com/CVFarmStories WhyWeFarmCapay.com

Let us know what you think! Feedback and topics you like to hear from us. Let us know. Email us at [email protected] Support us on Patreon! Our News and Listener Tips for July 2017 We couldn't sleep. Both Jenise and I couldn't sleep last night. For very different reasons. I was up with my solar charged flashlight prowling the yard. Not once, not twice, but three times. Each time, my crazy little dogs woke me from a deep sleep by barking like there is no tomorrow. Why I never figured out. But since we lost a bunch of chicken last Christmas morning to one of the friendly- or rather not so friendly- night time wildlife visitors, I can't go back to sleep without investigating. We have since build a chicken fortress for my girls to spend the night. But the last few nights, I have brought the 12 babies and their mom close to the flock in a temporary enclosure. Now, they are all next to each other and can get acquainted, but the babies house is not as safe as the fortress. Ergo, I get up with my flashlight to roam the yard whenever the dogs go off. Jenise couldn't sleep because she had too much fun!! It was her birthday on Tuesday and she celebrates with cake and friends - doing karaoke!! She realized that we all need to have joy in our lives. Sing, dance, laugh, run up a mountain. Whatever makes us happy. And we need to schedule time for joy! For Jenise, that is Karaoke. Someday, I have to go with her and film her for you! Our other news: canning garden swales We are going to present at Podcast Movement Come and join us - use Elsie's discount code : shepodcasts for 15 % off!! We have a giveaway!! Read about it here Our Listener Tips Pat Jones - via email Scarry_hairy_vampire_larry - via Instagram Stephanie McCoy -via Facebook sustainably.trendy - via Instagram Kelly Beth - twigandleaf -via Instagram Sally Olson - via Facebook Kathe Kline - via Voxer How to reach us: Website: Sustainable Living Podcast We appreciate your support! You can do so on Patreon. Here is how. Go to the Patreon Homepage. Create an account. You will need a name (can be an avatar), an email address, a password and a credit card. This should only take a few minutes. Then look for us and pledge away. Thank you! Join our Facebook group Sustainable Living Tips, Tools and Tactics. Apple Podcasts: Please Rate, Review and Subscribe Facebook Page Instagram Twitter YouTube Channel Google+ LinkedIn

Let us know what you think! Feedback and topics you like to hear from us. Let us know. Email us at [email protected] Support us on Patreon! Linda Kelso is a podcaster, a blogger, and a business woman. She is the owner and operator of LK Landscape Design. You might ask, why in the world have a podcaster on your podcast? Good question!! There are several answers. One is that Linda is an expert in the garden and many of us have started to grow our own food in an effort to be more sustainable. All tips and advice are welcome! She also knows how to create environments to support pollinators and other critters who are native to a given area - even if you live in an HOA. Another reason is that we podcasters like to support each other. You, my friend, our listener, belong to a growing, but still small group of the initiated. You know what a podcast is and how to listen to one. Believe it or not, there is still a large percentage of the population who does not know what a podcast is. If they only knew how much fun and how much learning can be had with a podcast. Maybe, you already shared our podcast with someone you thought might like to learn about sustainable living. Maybe, you already shared our podcast with someone you thought might like to learn about sustainable living. But you might have more friends who want to learn about gardening and gardening only. Well, now you can share Linda's podcast with them and another podcast listener is initiated! A win for all of us!! In this episode: Why Linda became a Landscape Designer after 18 years in a different career Master Gardener Training Back to College How her office career helped her in starting her own business Physical Business Online Business Free Course ** Special Discount for our Listeners ** Why create habitat? Ants!!!! Use the links on our website to take Linda's courses for only $ 10 each. They usually run between $ 50 and $ 100. Thank you, Linda!! Visit Linda's website. While you are there, sign up for her free course. lklandscapedesign.com You also find her podcast there. How to reach us: Website: Sustainable Living Podcast We appreciate your support! You can do so on Patreon. Here is how. Go to the Patreon Homepage. Create an account. You will need a name (can be an avatar), an email address, a password and a credit card. This should only take a few minutes. Then look for us and pledge away. Thank you! Join our Facebook group Sustainable Living Tips, Tools and Tactics. iTunes: Please Rate, Review and Subscribe Facebook Page Instagram Twitter YouTube Channel Google+ LinkedIn

Episode 103 Marissa Vicario is a certified integrative nutrition coach who is helping people to embrace holistic health. She is the author of the best-selling, award-winning book, Your Holistically Hot Transformation: Embrace a Healthy Lifestyle Free of Dieting, Confusion and Self-Judgment - about her own journey to wellness and the unique philosophy she uses in her coaching practice to teach women how to trust themselves to make slimming, nutritious and energizing choices without resorting to fad diets. In this interview she shares some valuable tips to help us all create healthier habits. Overcoming self-doubt One of the biggest challenges to anything you want to accomplish is self-doubt. How do we overcome the negative self-talk that keeps us from doing the things we want? Drowning out the noise and paving your own individual wellness journey is, according to Marissa, the true essence of the phrase "holistically hot". In our discussion, she shares a bit about how she overcome her own self-doubt. I can really relate to this because in my younger years I was virtually paralyzed by self doubt. As a result, I rarely tried anything new and if I wasn't immediately successful at something, I would quit and move on to the next thing. Well, when my kids were born, I realized I didn't want to set that type of example. So I started to work on taking risks and being okay with failure. As you'll hear in our discussion, I played mind-games with myself, at first, just so that I wouldn't beat myself up when things didn't turn out the way I wanted. Healing your relationship with food You have a relationship with food? Of course you do! We've all made judgments about food, based on what others are saying and our own experiences. As Marissa states, there really are no good or bad foods, some foods just work better for some people than others. Each person is different and we all need to find our own way on this. But healing how we view food, in general, is the first step. This involves uncovering our thoughts and biases regarding food and then using some techniques to create a more healthy view of food. Marissa mentions visualization and discussion as useful tools. I actually used mantras for this. Holistic health and sustainable self-care We women give a lot to others, which makes us happy. But too often we forget to give to ourselves and as we all know, if we don't fill our own pitcher up, there is nothing to pour out to others. If we want to live a healthy life, taking time for ourselves must not be considered a luxury. Self-care is an absolute necessity. Stress, in particular, has an extremely negative effect on our health. So reducing it, or at least counter-acting it needs to be a priority. During our discussion, Marissa also shares valuable tips for: Avoiding pitfalls like fast food Meal planning in minutes How to green your diet and detox naturally with food

Episode 102 I embraced feminism at an early age. It seemed like a no-brainer. Women should have the same rights as men. Period. I honor and appreciate all the pioneering women who came before me and through their efforts, made it possible for me to vote and choose to have the career that I want. Many continue fighting for our rights to this day and I am grateful. The Big Picture Somewhere along the line, though, I began to wonder if, perhaps the cause was a little short-sighted. What I mean by this is, though I believe women and men should have equal rights, the problem is bigger than that. Our society values traditionally masculine activities and attitudes much more than it does the feminine versions. And to be healthy, we need a mix of both. This was highlighted for Marianne when she recently listened to a podcast for working moms. To be clear, both Marianne and I believe we women should be able to choose our own paths, unencumbered by oppressive practices designed to control those choices. But, as you'll hear in our discussion, we both are also big believers in attachment parenting. We believe the more time kids can spend with their parents, particularly in those first five years, the better off they are. I would add, that society is much better off when that happens as well. Unfortunately, childrearing has traditionally been considered more of a feminine activity and thus has not been given the status it deserves. Feminism and Our Future If the raising of children (in essence the caring for and nurturing of society's future) were valued as much as it should be, parents would have MORE choices in terms of pursuing a career, not less. There would be much more flexibility in the workplace including: more parental leave time; more part-time and job-sharing options; more opportunities for working from home; and more child-friendly workplaces. The more all of us have to work to fit into a masculine-oriented system in which career and childrearing are mutually exclusive, the more we all suffer and the less sustainable our society is. What do you think? We would love to hear your thoughts about this. Please leave us a comment or email us at [email protected].

Carl was hungry and out of money when he found some onions growing. Just growing right next to a parking lot -not in a garden, not cared for, not planted by anyone on purpose. That onion tasted so good! And it was free. One little onion changed Carl's life and that of countless others who since have learned from him. "What is he teaching?" You might ask. Carl teaches how to get rid of all bills in your life. You know the ones you have to pay every month. * house payment/rent * water * electricity * trash * and the list goes on. At one point, Carl was living in Northern California with bills totaling $5300 per month. He got that down to $ 75. Impressive!! But Carl is special, right? Not everybody can do that! Wrong! Carl took 19 families under his wings and helped all of them to reduce their bills to nothing. But they all lived in California in the one spot where there is plenty of rain all year long and tomatoes are ripening in December. That is why this can work. Carl heard the argument that his method will never work in a cold climate one time too many and did what very few would even think about. Remember the town in Michigan called Flint? The one on the news? The one where people got poisoned by their drinking water? That is the town Carl picked to move to with his family. He and his wife were fully aware of all that is wrong with Flint, Michigan. But they also knew that they have solutions for the town. They moved to teach people how to be in control of their water supply among other skills. And to show the naysayers that living bill free can be done even in a cold, cold climate. Intrigued? Listen to the podcast to hear Carl's story (click the player above or find us in your favorite podcasting app). Then, find Carl on YouTube and start learning from him. Did I mention that he offers his teachings for free? Yup, that is the guy he is! Thank you, Carl. Find out about these topics and more when you listening to the podcast! * Ampy * Homebio gas [Homebiogas | Household Biogas Digester System](https://homebiogas.com/) * Incinerating toilets * Building a community business * Vision quests * Manabu Farms and Manabu Club * Outlaw Farmer * Precious Plastic [Home — Precious Plastic](https://preciousplastic.com/en/) How to find Carl: How to find Carl and Manabu Farms. Blog: Manabu Farms YouTube Facebook

Episode 100 Our journey on the sustainable living path led Marianne and I to create a weekly podcast a little more than two years ago. This episode marks 100 times we've recorded and shared our thoughts, interviews and tips via the podcast. In celebration of this milestone, Marianne traveled to my Big Bear homestead last weekend to brainstorm about our future plans and to record this episode. Connecting with You We've been on a mission to connect more directly with our listeners and to share and recognize your contributions. So we decided to build this episode around the many useful sustainable living tips you've shared with us in our Facebook Group, Sustainable Living Tips, Tools & Tactics; and on our Instagram account. We also announced the long-awaited beginning of the Sustainable Living Podcast Tribe Connector - our e-newsletter. I'm one of those people that doesn't believe in coincidences. In my opinion, Marianne and I were meant to meet and work together. Too many things aligned to ensure that it happened. But that doesn't mean there weren't obstacles to overcome. Challenges and Friendship Believe it or not, this was the very first time that Marianne and I have ever recorded a podcast together in the same room - in this case my back deck. The fact that we live three hours away from each other has certainly been challenging. The technologies of the Internet, Skype and social media made our meeting and subsequent partnership possible. But technology was also a barrier for us. Though I had years of experience as a social media marketer, both of us had to learn about podcasting - which is no small feat. Marianne threw herself into learning about everything regarding podcasting and social media marketing. As I note in our discussion, she has even begun teaching me new things! And along the way, our friendship has grown. Meeting via Skype on a regular basis, we've shared many ups, downs. For instance, shortly after we began the podcast, my dad was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. I'll never forget how supportive Marianne was, giving me helpful information that she has learned as a cancer survivor. But even the day-to-day challenges of life have been just a little bit easier because of our regular chats. I'm grateful that we have both shared a flexible approach to podcasting. Some months Marianne had a lot going on, so I posted the majority of the podcasts. Other months, she did more of the work. We don't really count who is doing how much. We just work together to make sure things get done - at least most of the time. And when someone drops the ball, well we've all been there. We just do our best to make sure it gets picked up again. Our Sustainable Living Community In this episode, which we decided to live stream as a video on Facebook, you'll hear us share the story of the birth of The Sustainable Living Podcast; favorite moments and future plans. But you'll also hear tips from listeners like Karen Vizer, Robin Gjerde, Stephanie McCoy, Cheryl Vaught and others. We are so grateful to have you all as members of our tribe. We appreciate your support. But we are particularly grateful to be connected to some of the most positive, resourceful, intelligent and caring people on Earth. We learn from you everyday. The value of a community such as ours cannot be overstated. Whether we're sharing tips on how to live more sustainably or just giving each other virtual hugs during tough times, these relationships provide a foundation upon which we can build a much happier world. Marianne and I wish to thank you all for your participation in this, from the bottom of our hearts.

Episode 99 Permaculture and agorism. Both offer methods for changing the world for the better. And both have become hot topics over the last several years, thanks to independent thinkers and alternative online media. In this week's episode of the podcast, I had the chance to engage in an exhilarating discussion about these topics with Eric McCool. , Eric is using his webisite, Permagora, to highlight ways in which people can combine permaculture with agorism for the betterment of humans and planet Earth. Non-Agression, Permaculture and Agorism During the chat, I explain how I have been exploring the ideas of voluntaryism (sometimes referred to as anarchism) and agorism and what spurred this exploration. I've learned that, voluntaryism, is not the absence of rules. Rather, it's the absence of authority or hierarchical structures. At its core, is the non-agression principle which decries the use of violence or coercion on others for any reason except self-defense. My "wake up" moment came when my son, through You Tube, showed me some disturbing news that wasn't being covered on any of the main stream media channels. Thus began my increased skepticism of mainstream media, authority figures and government, in general. Too often a little online research revealed the nightly news to be questionable at best; outright lies at worst; and a tool to push political agendas. The Attraction of Self-Sufficiency My efforts to nurture the health of my family, as well as Mother Earth, were also driving me to seek a way to opt-out of the consumer lifestyle. I sought a simpler life, living closer to nature and growing as much of my own food as possible. I wanted to be more self-reliant, but I also wanted to be part of a community with a smaller, more resilient and eco-friendly micro-economy. So I moved to my current homestead in Big Bear, California. Like Eric, one of my fondest wishes is to help create more economic resiliency through permaculture and activities like food swaps. Creating that Better World I've also discovered fresh sources for news and information that I have found to be trustworthy. Not all, but a significant portion of these sites are run by folks who embrace the voluntaryist philosophy. Marianne and I have spoken of one, The Survival Podcast hosted by Jack Spirko, on previous podcasts. In this interview, Eric mentions two of my other favorites: The Corbett Report, with James Corbett and The Conscious Resistance with Derrick Brose. During this discussion, you're likely to detect my enthusiasm. I share Eric's passion for highlighting new systems that have the betterment of mankind as their goal. There truly is a LOT to be excited about at this time in history, despite the endless barrage of doom and gloom we often see on T.V. Are you currently taking action to create the world you want to live in? There's never been a better time! Please drop us a line and share your positive news with us. We would love to help you spread it so that more people are inspired to create that better world.

Episode 98 I'm excited about food swaps. Why? There are SO many reasons! I mean who doesn't like fresh, locally grown food? Or building community with your neighbors? Or trading your excess garden produce for something that you really need? Start a Food Swap Those are all wonderful reasons for starting a food swap. But perhaps most importantly, food swaps can provide some protection against economic downturns. Think about it. If we actually do have to face a SHTF moment and items we need are no longer easy to get, wouldn't a local food swapping group be helpful? So I've decided I'm going to start a food swap here in my small town of Big Bear City, California. But there are a few things I need to know, so I talked to Sheri Menelli of EarthFriendlyHomeowner.com about it. Sheri attends, organizes and advertises food swaps in her local area of Carlsbad, California. Our discussion is part of this episode. I also talked to my favorite homesteading mentor who is also my podcast co-host, Marianne West. She's an old hand at food swaps, herself. Freedom in Swapping Communities In this episode of the podcast you'll hear about the advantages of food swaps; unexpected benefits; how to start your own food swap; and pitfalls to avoid. Marianne and I feel this is is such an important topic that we are also creating a free guide for anyone interested in starting a food swap in their own community. Please keep an eye out for announcements about it in the future. Of all the subjects we cover, topics like this one, that focus on helping people to have more freedom, get me the most excited. Personally, I'm tired of having to support corporations and institutions that cause so much suffering in the world. I'm also tired of being dependent on these organizations for my basic needs. If you feel the same way, I hope you'll look for food swaps in your local area - or start one of your own. The more we all begin to participate in exchanges that help to empower ourselves and our local communities, the more resilient and free we will all be.

Let us know what you think! Feedback and topics you like to hear from us. Let us know. Email us at [email protected] Support us on Patreon! Lindsey McCoy has a master's degree in nonprofit management and spent the last 10 years working on environmental education in the Bahamas, islands full of single-use plastic. She and her sister co-founded a company, Plaine Products, that offers shampoo, conditioner and body wash in aluminum bottles that can be returned, refilled and reused. In this interview, Lindsey explains how plastic affects all of us. It never disappears, just breaks down into smaller and smaller particles. Much of the plastic ends up in the ocean where fish are ingesting it and so do we by eating fish. Lindsey describes her experience in the Bahamas. She also gives us insights in the trials and In this interview, Lindsey explains how plastic affects all of us. It never disappears, just breaks down into smaller and smaller particles. Much of the plastic ends up in the ocean where fish are ingesting it and so do we by eating fish. Lindsey describes her experience in the Bahamas. She also gives us insights in the trials and tribulations of starting a company which does good for the planet. How to reach Lindsey and Plain Products: Email Lindsey at [email protected] Visit the website and place your order at Plaine Products Social Media: Plaineproducts How to reach us: Website: Sustainable Living Podcast We appreciate your support! You can do so on Patreon. Here is how. Go to the Patreon Homepage. Create an account. You will need a name (can be an avatar), an email address, a password and a credit card. This should only take a few minutes. Then look for us and pledge away. Thank you! Join our Facebook group Sustainable Living Tips, Tools and Tactics. iTunes: Please Rate, Review and Subscribe Facebook Page Instagram Twitter YouTube Channel Google+ LinkedIn

Let us know what you think! Feedback and topics you like to hear from us. Let us know. Email us at [email protected] Support us on Patreon! Sunday Conversations Usually, you don't hear from us on a Sunday. But here it is - Sunday Conversations. For now, Sunday conversations is a three-part series sharing the stories of three remarkable people who have faced great challenges in their lives. Each has a very different story, but they have in common that they have taken their individual challenges and turned them into an opportunity to help others. Extra Bonus: After the interview, Dr. Adrian Cooper is answering listener questions and giving more tips on how to create a nature reserve in your community - one backyard at a time. Today's interview is featuring Win Charles. Win is a podcaster, a published author, an athlete, and she happens to be born with Cerebral Palsy, CP. I asked Win if she was willing to answer some questions from the perspective of a person dealing with a disability. We often stress the importance of community building in our podcast and that needs to be an inclusive approach if we want to create a more sustainable world. Yet in reality, most communities are somewhat homogenous. We tend to look and bond with the familiar and exclude what we perceive as different. Cities are divided by affluent and not so affluent neighborhoods or by racial or ethnic identities. Other groups have members who are all similar in age, political opinions, or interests. But is we want to work together, to figure out how we can help each other and lift each other up, we need to know and understand at least a little bit about each other. Not that long ago, disabled children used to be either kept at home - and I mean, kept at home, hidden, not to be seen. Or they were deposited in an institution, which amounts to the same: Invisibility. Win's parents were advised to send her to a facility, but they refused and gave all the support they could to their daughter. And she soared and has achieved more than many of her able-bodied peers. As a teenager and young adult, I had a friend with CP. When I pushed her wheelchair through the town, people were often staring or looking very deliberately the other way. Things have changed, but I do think that many people still feel uncomfortable around a disabled person. The unease often comes from no exactly knowing what to do. Should I open and hold the door for a person in a wheelchair? Or is that taking their power away? Should I grab a hold of the arm of a blind person and help them cross the street? Or not? (hint: I open the door for everyone - I say a yes on opening doors. A big NO on grabbing a blind person - from what I gather, that is one of the # 1 complaints). During the podcast, I asked Win to share some tips how she would like to be treated. Direct your questions toward the disabled person. Not to a caretaker or other abled body person in their surrounding. If you want to help, ask. It made me sad that Win was saying that many disabled (differently abled) people are not used to being offered help. Some highlights of our conversation Win walked until she was 18. Hopes that another surgery will enable her to get off the mobility device. Every day can be completely different from the rest. She needs to work no matter what. Win schedules her workout time as a meeting in her calendar. She writes books. She has a podcast. She works full time. Buy Win's book on amazon (affiliate) I, Win: My Journey Find Win here: Facebook Twitter Website Win's custom jewelry and art How to reach us: Website: Sustainable Living Podcast We appreciate your support! You can do so on Patreon. Here is how. Go to the Patreon Homepage. Create an account. You will need a name (can be an avatar), an email address, a password and a credit card. This should only take a few minutes. Then look for us and pledge away. Thank you! Join our Facebook group Sustainable Living Tips, Tools and Tactics. iTunes: Please Rate, Review and Subscribe Facebook Page Instagram Twitter YouTube Channel Google+ LinkedIn

Episode 95 - Healthy, Handmade Food As a child, my experiences with healthy, handmade food were few and far between. My mom would be the first to say that cooking was not her forte'. But , thankfully, Mr. Swanson, Mrs. Stouffers and many others provided pre-cooked meals that could be bought at the super market and stored in the freezer until needed. So, for many of us, cooking amounted to opening a package and heating a frozen or canned meal up on the stove or in the oven. Hey, it was the "modern" way, wasn't it? The Allure of Handmade Food Women had entered the workforce and needed a quick and simple way to ensure their families were fed. Convenience foods fit the bill. And when the freezer was empty, there was always McDonalds! I experienced handmade food when I spent the night at a friend's house or on visits to my grandparents' farm in North Dakota. Because it was so rare in my world, it always seemed special to me. And it always tasted SO good! Thus began my fascination with handmade food and from-scratch cooking. Even as a child, many of my favorite books were cook books. Like so many others, I learned to cook, not from other family members, but from outside sources. Of course in those days there was no Internet - no website like "The Domestic Wildflower" to teach me how to can and sew. Today, there is. And thankfully, brilliant people like Jenny Gomes are using this technology to teach skills that used to be passed down from generation to generation. Our Lost Domestic Skills Jenny was fortunate enough to be raised in a family where canning and sewing were taught at an early age. She recalls helping her mother and grandmother by peeling the produce that was about to be canned. She was too busy for canning as a teenager, but her sewing skills sure came in handy with friends when buttons fell off or Halloween costumes were needed. When she was pregnant with her first child, canning took on a whole new meaning. She realized it was an excellent way to ensure she had convenient, yet healthy food for her baby that didn't have any harmful additives. A natural teacher, Jenny wanted to help women who lacked the confidence to master the domestic skills she grew up with. Thus "The Domestic Wildflower" website was born. Through her website, Jenny offers classes in cooking, canning, sewing, craft making and more. She has even rediscovered some valuable skills that had been nearly forgotten. Have you ever heard of a syrup called a "shrub?" It's a prohibition-era method for preserving fruits and vegetables with sugar and vinegar. Jenny has brought the practice of making shrubs into the 21st century through a course you can take on her website. Our discussion reminded me that sustainable living really comes down to resourcefulness. It's about doing whatever it takes to thrive where you are planted - much like a wildflower. Jenny Gomes is a wonderful example of this. You can sign up for Jenny's FREE Canning Basics Course here. And if you're interested in learning more about canning, check out Jenny's Steam Canning Workshop which makes canning much faster than traditional canning.

Episode 94 Mark Lefko, Author of Global Sustainability 21 Leading CEOs Show How To do Well By Doing Good Please send feedback to [email protected] or join us on Facebook We appreciate your support! You can do so on Patreon. If you have listened for a while to our podcast, you know that we talk a lot about small steps towards a more sustainable life we all can implement. All these individual actions together have the potential to make a big difference. Mark Lefko has a different approach. His goal is to influence big companies to do better. That doesn't mean to make more money - at least not exclusively. Mark is deeply committed to teaching CEOs about the benefit of the Triple Bottom Line. Each action must be good for the people, good for the planet and bring profit. Many see big industry as the enemy. But how would the world look like if the large corporations become leaders in people care and earth care? Pretty good, I say. Here is Mark's answer to the question "What is global sustainability?" Lefko: "For me, global sustainability means that everyone on our planet not only has the resources they need to survive but also to thrive over the long run. And if we want to do that, we need to tackle a range of issues that include extreme poverty, inequality, and injustice. That's why global sustainability is more than just an environmental issue: it includes other critical aspects such as financial and social sustainability as well." Let's wish Mark lots of success in his mission. in his book, Global Sustainability, Mark interviews 21 CEOs of large companies. See the list below. CEOs interviewed in the book: Richard Branson, Founder, Virgin Group Paul Polman, CEO, Unilever Ann Sherry, CEO, Carnival Australia Andrew Liveris, CEO, The Dow Chemical Company Cyrus Mistry, Chairman, Tata Group Guilherme Leal, Co-Chairman, Natura Walter Robb, Co-CEO, Whole Foods Market Jon Provisor, CIO, Guidance Production Mike Kaplan, President and CEO, Aspen Ski Company Mike Sangiacomo, CEO, Recology Phil Clothier, CEO, Barrett Values Centre Marc Benioff, CEO, Salesforce.com Dave MacLennan, CEO, Cargill Blake Mycoskie, Founder, TOMS Shoes Francois-Henri Pinault, Chairman and CEO, Kering Seth Goldman, CEO, Honest Tea Feike Sijbesma, CEO, DSM David Griswold, CEO, Sustainable Harvest Coffee Importers Frank Dulcich,Presidentand CEO, Pacific Seafood Company Ryan Devlin, Co-Founder, This Bar Saves Lives Tom Szaky, Founder and CEO, TerraCycle Information about Mark from his press release: MARK LEFKO has coached and mentored more than 100 CEOs and company presidents, bringing with him 35 years of real-world C-level business experience. A thought leader in the fields of leadership and sustainability, Lefko serves on several advisory boards and is known for his high-energy, insightful speaking engagements. As the Founder and CEO of Lefko Group, one of the nation's leading facilitation firms, he has led countless strategic planning retreats,corporate think tanks, roundtables and peer groups. "Global Sustainability," Mark's second book, aims to inspire executives to rally around the concept of doing well while doing good. He lives in Los Angeles, California. Learn more at http://marklefko.com and #DoWellDoingGood How to connect with us: How to reach us: Website: Sustainable Living Podcast We appreciate your support! You can do so on Patreon. Here is how. Go to the Patreon Homepage. Create an account. You will need a name (can be an avatar), an email address, a password and a credit card. This should only take a few minutes. Then look for us and pledge away. Thank you! iTunes: Please Rate, Review and Subscribe Facebook Page Instagram Twitter YouTube Channel Google+ LinkedIn

Sunday Conversations Usually, you don't hear from us on a Sunday. But here it is - Sunday Conversations. For now, Sunday conversations is a three-part series sharing the stories of three remarkable people who have faced great challenges in their lives. Each has a very different story, but they have in common that they have taken their individual challenges and turned them into an opportunity to help others. Today's Interview is featuring Darrell Smith, also known as Big D. I let Darrell introduce himself: "My name is Darrell Smith. I am a writer, podcaster, and former postman who was taken out of my profession due to a physical condition which caused me to lose my vision. I documented my journey, as well as discussed my mental health issues in a podcast known as The Mailman's Survival Guide to The Galaxy." I hope you will tune into Darrell's podcast and share it with a friend who is dealing with depression. Support us on Patreon! We love your support! Please visit our page and pledge as little as $1 to help create that world we all want to live in. Visit our Website: http://www.sustainablelivingpodcast.com/ Find Darrell's podcast on iTunes and subscribe - and while you are there, subscribe to ours as well!

Episode 92 - Jennifer Osuch of Self Reliant School Jennifer Osuch discovered the art of self reliance through parenting. As the mother of two children with asthma, she wanted to do whatever she could to reduce toxins and support their health. Through her research she learned techniques and lost skills that really made a difference. She began to make healthy meals from scratch using old-fashioned techniques like canning and food dehydrating that also saved her time and money. Jennifer and her husband Bill teach people how to do these things and more on their website, Self Reliant School. There you can find: a whole series books Jennifer has written on the topic of preparedness live and recorded episodes of her "Self Reliant Living Show" online courses on everything from gardening and cooking to preserving and making your own natural remedies From Parenting to Self-Reliance I stumbled on Jennifer's blog a couple of years ago (probably through Pinterest) and have been sharing her posts ever since. So I was thrilled when she asked me to be a guest on her "Self Reliant Living" show. Through that discussion, we learned that we had a LOT in common. For example, I too came to this path of self-reliance and sustainable living through my kids. In fact, so did Marianne! You can hear our stories (in which the breast feeding support group, La Leche League, played a great part) on our second podcast. Like Marianne, Jennifer chose to homeschool her kids. She shares her experiences as a homeschooling mom in our discussion. But, perhaps the most foundational view that Jennifer and I share, is the idea that humans today must place on emphasis on thinking for themselves. Embracing Autonomy & Discernment I've come to realize that modern humans have given away too much of their own autonomy. We depend on corporations for almost everything we need to survive and that includes information about the world around us. As a child, I believed my parents when they told me this is just the way the world works. As a young adult I began to question it, but like a fish who has no concept of water, I couldn't imagine anything else. Through my journey as a parent, I began to discover alternatives to relying on corporations for the food and medicines my family required. But it was my young adult son who finally pulled the veil aside one day, causing me to realize that our corporate-owned media was presenting a view of the world that served their own interests, not mine. As you can see, parenting is a journey of massive self-discovery that is waking folks up everyday. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I enjoyed recording it. I have a feeling many of you will find you resonate with Jennifer's story. If you do (and even if you don't) please leave a comment or drop me a note at [email protected] . How has parenting affected your journey toward sustainable living? We'd love to know! Below are links to information Jennifer mentioned during our discussion: Meals in Jars An Open Letter to Moms Thinking About Homeschooling Also Jennifer has provided this free Self Reliant School video series that you can sign up for here. You can connect with Jennifer on these social media platforms: Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/SelfReliantSchool/ Pinterest:https://www.pinterest.com/sreliantschool/ Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/selfreliantschool/ Twitter:https://twitter.com/SReliantSchool

Organic - Many of us immediately start thinking about food. But the material much of our clothing is made from has probably a much higher negative impact on the earth than the food crops have. Nicola Syme is the designer/creator of sustainable, environmentally friendly and ethical sleepwear, loungewear and yoga wear company, Happiest Girl In The World. Her vision is to bring awareness and education to people, surrounding the negative effects the fast fashion industry is having on the planet while also providing a sustainable, high-quality clothing alternative. Through Happiest Girl In The World, Nicola aims to teach and support women of all ages, to truly love themselves, and to encourage women to create positive body image and self-confidence within themselves and remind them that they are unique and amazing JUST THE WAY THEY ARE. She is on a mission to create lasting positive change and to have a massive impact in the lives of women all around the world. Topics of discussion: - Effects of fast fashion industry on the planet - Benefits of low tox living and choosing sustainable, high-quality products that last - Ethical, safe factory practices and supporting these factories - Creating positive body image and self-confidence in women – challenging current 'beauty' standards This is How you can reach Nicola: Website: www.hgitw.com.au Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/happiest.girl.in.the.world/ Instagram: @happiest.girl.in.the.world How to reach us: Website: Sustainable Living Podcast We appreciate your support! You can do so on Patreon. Here is how. Go to the Patreon Homepage. Create an account. You will need a name (can be an avatar), an email address, a password and a credit card. This should only take a few minutes. Then look for us and pledge away. Thank you! iTunes: Please Rate, Review and Subscribe Facebook Page Instagram Twitter YouTube Channel Google+ LinkedIn

Episode 90 - The Venus Project When first I learned about The Venus Project five years ago through a video on You Tube, I was blown away. It's creator, Jacques Fresco, had thought of everything needed for building and maintaining a society that actually allows humans to live the lives they long for. No more 40 hour work week at a job you hate No more waste No more pollution No more lack of food, clothing or shelter And no more oppressive governmental structures A Vision for a New Millennium Like so many before me, I was inspired by the project to begin envisioning a world that was enticingly unfamiliar. I wanted to do what I could to help make it happen. Not long after that, I met Marianne and we started this podcast. Over the past two years of interviews, I've met others who were just as inspired by Jacques Fresco's vision as I was. Most recently, I was introduced to Saso Luznar and Jennifer Huse who work directly on The Venus Project. (Thanks again to the amazing Michael E.V. Knight.) In this episode of the podcast, Saso and Jennifer explain what The Venus Project is; its foundational concepts; and the problems it would solve. Solutions No Longer So Strange Some of these solutions, which Fresco proposed decades ago, are no longer as strange as they once were. The move toward sharing cars, as opposed to owning them, is one example. The rise of collaboration as opposed to competition as a way to get things done, might be another. If you know nothing about The Venus Project, you'll learn about it here. But I would encourage you to learn more by going to The Venus Project website and also checking out the video posted below. You may also wish to check out the Zeitgeist films and other videos about The Venus Project on You Tube. This kind of information gets us thinking and dreaming. And, as more of us begin to allow ourselves to envision such things, that better world gets closer and closer to becoming our reality. You may also wish to check out the Zeitgeist films and other videos about The Venus Project on You Tube. This kind of information gets us thinking and dreaming. And, as more of us begin to allow ourselves to envision such things, that better world gets closer and closer to becoming our reality.

Blake Akers is working on an alternative to the organic certification, USDA Organic, offered by the federal government. Not long ago, we had Grace Gershuny on our show who played a major part in the creation of the standards we follow today. The two are somewhat in separate camps. Grace is greatly invested in a standard and certification for organics set by the government, while Blake wants to see that farmers self-regulate and that consumers enforce the standards by voting with their dollars and by making their opinion known. In the end, the really agree on many things. For example: Both feel very strongly that the soil is the key to producing good, organic food and for that matter, to producing food - period. Both are deeply concerned that we are losing topsoil at an alarming rate. Both want to see regeneration rather than sustainability. Both want to see that farmers are able to make an income during the transition to being completely organic. And there are many points where the disagree. Part of our mission for this podcast Is to bring to you different world views and methods. Blake Akers on Agritrue: Agritrue is an online directory and certification site for beyond organic producers. Agritrue wants to be there for start-ups and small businesses. They are offering an alternative to the USDA certification, and are at the same time more rigorous in certain aspects. Why is it more rigorous? You have to have a soil management system in place to become Agritrue certified. The goal is to keep the soil from eroding and to become better and better. This ensures maximum nutrition in the food and also builds topsoil on our planet. Soil is important for the health of the plants and consequently for the health of the people. A few highlights from the interview: If you want to sell vegetarian fed eggs, do not apply. Why is that? Allowing GMO feed for livestock. Why and for how long? A transition period. Regenerative Agriculture. The goal is to build trust with the consumer base. The hope is to achieve name recognition on the level with USDA organic. Blake owns a software company which developed the online tools. Agritrue is in partnership with Permaethos - an organization dedicated to education.The idea originated with Jack Spirko from the Survival Podcast. Did you see the video of shrimp in China getting prepped to be exported to the US? Neither the film crew nor the workers knew the ingredients of the substance that was injected into the shrimp to make them weigh more. Value added products are okay to produce. A person could buy cucumbers to make pickles and sell the pickles via Agritrue - as long as the cucumbers were grown in accordance with the standards. Agritrue: http://agritrue.com/ Agritrue on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBnivmgDboA Permaethos: https://permaethos.com/ Sustainable Living Podcast: http://www.sustainablelivingpodcast.com/ If you like our work, please support us via Patreon

Episode 88 - Online Clothes Swap & Help for Bees An online clothes swap? What a great idea! That's what I thought when I first heard about SilkRoll, an online fashion-sharing community that aims to bring sustainability to the fashion industry. In this podcast, I interview Janet Wu and Erin Wold, the founders of SilkRoll. (But please stay tuned after the interview for an important tip from our resident local wildlife expert, Dr. Adrian Cooper, on how to help our endangered bee populations.) Matching Resources to Needs Years ago, when the Internet was much younger, I learned about a website that matched book lovers with each other for the purpose of swapping books. Once you joined the site, all you had to do was post what books you had available for swapping. The site matched you up with people who were interested in your books and even provided a way to download the postage you needed to send the books out to others. I was blown away with how this simple site, dedicated to matching resources to needs, sidestepped so many issues and allowed me to build a small library of used classics at a fraction of what I would have paid for new books. I also really appreciated the ability to share my unwanted books with others who would enjoy them, instead of adding them to the landfill. Since that time, lots of websites dedicate to swapping have emerged, with varying degrees of success. Established in 2015 and still going strong, SilkRoll appears to be making it work. A Familiar Story I found the story of how Janet and Erin met and decided to start SilkRoll reminiscent of how Marianne and I met and decided to start The Sustainable Living Podcast together. Like us, these two sustainability-oriented fashionistas found they had a lot in common, including a desire to make a positive impact on the world around them. Though I don't have a ton of high-quality clothing to swap, the opportunity to exchange things I don't wear for quality pieces that would suit me better, is too good to pass up. I plan to give SilkRoll a try. I'll let you know how it works out. Another way you can have a positive impact on the world is to provide assistance to endangered bee populations. Dr. Adrian Cooper offers guidance on plants you can include in your garden to help sustain the local bees. For more from Dr. Adrian on how you can help to sustain and grow wildlife in your neck of the woods, you may wish to check out my interview, below.

Episode 87 - Homestead Update and Listener Tips In this homestead update Marianne and I discuss chickens, irrigation, garden pests, listener sustainable living tips and much more. Homesteading Tasks It's Spring and the gardening tasks are mounting. Marianne is re-doing her chicken coop and shares how the whole process gave her an up-close-and-personal encounter with local wildlife! Marianne's backyard garden in San Diego is the very definition of abundance after the recent California rains. She is realizing that a better system of irrigation could make a huge difference in future harvests so she has added that to her to-do list. Here in Big Bear temperatures are still dipping below freezing at night, so gardening outside will have to wait - though I am starting seedlings indoors. My biggest concerns are gophers and a sick chicken. Seriously, just have a look at the picture below to get an idea of how bold and resourceful the gophers around here are. I can't WAIT till Marianne writes that blog post about how to get rid of gophers! Listener Sustainable Living Tips We are both always looking for ways to live a happier, healthier life that reduces harm and perhaps even benefits our dear Mother Earth. So in this homestead update, we share a few tips we personally follow. However, we are thrilled to feature some of the tips our listeners and social media community are sharing with us! For example, one of our listeners shared a great tip for making use of water used for steaming vegetables. Another tip involves how to conserve your own personal energy. April has really been a difficult month for both Marianne and I, from a health standpoint. And from talking to others, I have gathered it's been rough on a lot of folks. During our discussion we also share a few practices that we use to help heal and rejuvenate. Raising Our Vibration With all the turmoil and conflict in the world right now, cultivating fun in our lives can really help to keep us from becoming sad or depressed. One of the things Marianne does to raise her vibration is Laughter Yoga. If you didn't have a chance to listen to our last podcast, you may want to check it out. Marianne interviews Laughter Yoga Master Trainer Linda Laclerc. My favorite way to get happy is to go karaokeing with friends. How do you cultivate happiness and fun in your life? We'd love to hear about it and we are very likely to share your vibration-raising tips on a future podcast. So please leave a comment below or send us an email at [email protected] or [email protected] .

Laughter Yoga with Linda Leclerc Linda spreads Laughter Yoga wherever she goes. A few years back, she was in San Diego for a training and we met up for lunch and to pick up a couple of items at the mall. By the time we said goodbye, Linda had brought smiles to the faces of at least a dozen people - overworked waiters, bored shopkeepers and fellow shoppers alike. It is easy to get everyone to laugh at a Laughter Yoga session. The people there came for that reason, but it is another thing to sprinkle joy everywhere, all the time. Linda does that. And I love her for it. What is Laughter Yoga? What is that Laughter Yoga you are talking about, you might ask. Most people think of Yoga as skinny people in tight clothing putting their bodies into pretzel like positions which seem not to be meant for humans to get into. So, is Laughter Yoga folding into a pretzel and then laughing? The good news is that Yoga really doesn't require a person to be super flexible to practice and the even better news is that everybody, no matter what size, or age, or ability can enjoy Laughter Yoga. It is simply intentional laughter or laughter for no reason. That sounds so simple. Just laughing. But that simple act of intentional laughter has so many benefits for our bodies, our minds and our souls. What does a Typical Laughter Yoga Session Look Like? Usually people come together in a group to practice Laughter Yoga, but it can also be a solitary activity. In a typical session, the leader first explains the benefits of Laughter Yoga. This engages the intellect of the participants. Getting the mental okay to participate is important for many. Let's face it, in a Laughter Yoga session we are asking people to engage in pretty silly behaviors. Or so it might seem to the newbie. In reality, we are creating an environment in which we can let go off everyday worries and fears. But our mind first has to agree to engage in an behavior that many adults perceive as more fitted to children. To do so, we first have to convince the self-critical subconscious that it is okay to engage in this not very adult-like, but very playful behavior. That done, We stretch a bit and learn about laughter exercises, laughter cheers and the laughter mantra: Hoho hahaha. Imagine the chachacha rhythm and clap with your chanting. Hoho hahaha - you got this!! After a good 20 or 30 minutes of laughter exercises and maybe speaking gibberish, everybody is ready for a good laughter meditation. My favorite way is for everybody to lie down on the floor. If possible, all heads pointing towards a center, but everybody has enough space that nobody is touching anybody else. Seated on chairs or on the floor works as well. The important part is that everybody closes their eyes and nobody speaks any language they know. Gibberish, animal or other noises are okay. Then, we all start to smile, then chuckle and see what happens. Sometimes, not much. But most of the time, people start laughing and laughing and laughing. One infects the other. The group might become quiet. Then one person breaks out giggling again, and the whole group joins in. This can go on for minutes. And the beauty of a laughter meditation is that you are not thinking of anything. You are simply laughing. Some of the Health Benefits of Laughter Yoga This is a list of some of the health benefits of Laughter Yoga. Deeper breath - more oxygen to the body. Beneficial to the cardiovascular system - helps regulate both, high and low blood pressure Reduces pain Aids digestion Reduces Stress Helps with depression, anxiety and psychosomatic disorders Enhances learning by stimulating both sides of the brain. Linda Leclerc Linda Leclerc is Laughter Yoga Master Trainer certified by Dr. Kataria who created this discipline. As a master trainer, Linda can train Laughter Yoga leaders and teachers. Here are some quotables from our interview: We are starting to forget how to laugh because we are taking our self so seriously. We are taking everything so seriously Everybody who is making us laugh is a social magnet. About health benefits: The social aspect of Laughter Yoga might be the best of all. If you are laughing with somebody, you connect with that person. You are no longer judging or being self-conscious. You look into each other's eyes and you see the human being and you love that human being. Linda on Laughter Clubs: A Laughter Club is a place where everybody goes to laugh. Usually, the meetings are free and everybody is welcome. Stress, it's on everybody's mind and in everybody's vocabulary. Laughter helps us relief all the symptoms of stress. We breathe deeper, endorphins are being released and pretty soon we feel better and more relaxed. Laughing every day is a choice we can make for ourselves. That doesn't mean that we never feel sad or unhappy. Or that our problems magically go away. It just means that after a certain amount of time, we decide that we want to feel differently and we use laughter to change our mood. The mo

Episode 85 - Michael Tellinger Michael Tellinger is a relentless questioner, taking no information for granted. His investigation of the ancient stone circle structures found near his home of South Africa resulted in three books: Temples of the African Gods; Slave Species of god and Adam's Calendar. Hidden Origins In those books, he shares the research that led him to his theory about the real purpose of these structures and his conclusion that human civilization is likely much older than scientists have previously believed. I became aware of Michael by watching the Internet subscription channel, Gaia, where he can be seen on several interview shows as well as on his own series, "Hidden Origins." On these shows, Michael pulls together disparate pieces of information to weave a new tale about our ancient past as well as our possible future. His relentless questioning also led him to found the Ubuntu movement - an effort that seeks to promote a contributionist economy. (Not long ago I interviewed Brandon Shalton who heads up the Ubuntu U.S. "One Small Town" effort.) While certainly unorthodox, Michael's work can be quite compelling and prod us to question everything we have been taught. To my mind, an idea like Ubuntu, today, could only come from someone like Michael Tellinger - someone willing to question everything as well as to entertain just about any idea. Although, you would think, most scientists would embrace such an approach, too often they don't as Charles Eisenstein pointed out in his article, "The Need for Venture Science." Ubuntu I also believe that only an outrageous idea such as Ubuntu, has a real shot at successfully replacing our current economic system. So I was absolutely thrilled when a former guest, Michael E. V. Knight, put me in touch with Michael Tellinger so that I could interview him. In this episode, we discuss the need to question what we've been taught; why our monetary system isn't serving humankind; what Ubuntu is and how it would change daily life for humans; and what Michael is doing to spread the Ubuntu message. A society which only requires a few hours of weekly work from each of its citizens in exchange for quality food, clothing, housing and health care, may seem absurd. But is it really any more absurd than working 40 hours a week at a job you hate to pay for cheap products, poisonous food, housing and healthcare that are anything but guaranteed? While I may not agree with all of his theories, I'm grateful that there are people like Michael, willing to brave public scrutiny and an entrenched academic system in an effort to uncover truth and find solutions to our most pressing human needs.

Being a Father Brings Change Being a Father, growing into that role, does not happen overnight. Sure, the physical part, the birth of a child, usually happens relatively fast (and often during the night), but being a father is an ever evolving undertaking. Ideas of how to be a parent formed prior to the arrival of the baby often change rapidly when faced with the reality of having a real live little person with a mind and a personality of her own as part of the family. Sometimes, change comes about slowly. Values, expectations and life goals might change completely and are constantly in need of being reexamined as the children grow and change. For Diego, the birth of first daughter was a bit of a shock - life changed dramatically. After the initial "honeymoon" phase with the new baby, reality hit. It is not as easy to get up and go and do whatever you want once a baby is part of the equation. Who is Diego? If asked that question ten years ago, Diego probably would have answered that he is a young business professional out to conquer the world of business. His priority at that time was more centered around career building and making money - lots of it. Making investments, creating a retirement, buying a house. In short, desires and goal which are considered "normal" and/or desirable for most people. Enter children and Permaculture into Diego's life. A complete shift of priorities happened. Today, Diego has left his corporate job behind and is building a business and a lifestyle centered around his family. Diego is the founder of Permaculture Voices, a podcaster and an online entrepreneur. What is Permaculture Voices? Permaculture Voices started as a conference with the goal of bringing the great teachers in the Permaculture arena together for a conference in a place where people would want to travel to. The place was San Diego in early spring. People from cold climates surely could use the break from ice and snow and weren't yet busy working on the land. A conference needs promoting. And a podcast seemed like a good idea to reach people all over the world. Guess what. Diego fell in love with podcasting. Now, several years and three major conferences later, Diego decided to let go of the large conferences and Permaculture Voices has morphed into an online business featuring podcasts and online courses as well as in-person workshops, and more. Balancing Work and Being a Father Diego and Marianne met at a Master Composting class when he was a brand new father. He and his wife had just purchased a house and Diego had started to be interested in growing food, composting and fruit trees. Somehow, Permaculture came to his attention and with it, his change in life philosophy and his life work. Now, Diego has three kids - a big step from somebody who never thought he wanted any. On the day of the birth of his third daughter, Diego started a daily podcast. Part of his motivation was to leave a legacy for his children. But he also wanted to address daily issues of life in general which often are not talked about. Diego wants to show the good, the bad and the ugly. Starting a new show is adding even more work at the same time when a new baby is added to the family, but Diego sees this podcast almost as a form of therapy for himself. This is his secret to getting it done: Prioritize and let go of time suckers like TV! Adding this work turned out to be beneficial to him and helped him clarify his priorities as well as his workflow. Time with the children and with his wife is part of the scheduling - equally important as work task. This hasn't always been the way, but evolved as Diego's priorities shifted Diego is driven to get things done and had to adjust to his new life as a father. At some point, he realized how quickly kids grow and he wanted his daughter to know that she came first. Not the TV. Not friends. Not the phone. Life hack: Use your future self to hold you now self accountable. More Snippets of Our Conversation Cruel irony of being a parent: On the micro scale, parenting can be hell at times, but on the macro, you want your babies back when they are grown up. Our own parents were great providers, but not so present in the emotional support department Diego is laying the foundation now with his kids that they all can and will be friends their whole lives. Allowing and fostering the curiosity and creativity we think kids have to start with and which often, at an early age, get subdued by parents and teachers. Our parents were raising us the way they felt was best for us, and we did/ are doing the same - only very different. Our children's stories are not ours to write. We agree that it is much better for an individual to be raised with confidence in themselves. Diego is leaving his corporate job. The reasons: It is one thing to spend time at a job your don't like, but another to not like a job which also takes time and energy away from raising your kids. Diego and his wife want to homeschool their children. Fo

Episode 83 - Community Nature Reserve Dr. Adrian Cooper is on a mission to spread a new idea which could help to save local wildlife: the community nature reserve. The term "community nature reserve" may bring up visions of national parks and there are certain similarities. Both community nature reserves and national parks are created to help support and protect wildlife. Both are also supported and frequented by nature lovers. But unlike national or government-run nature conservation projects, community nature reserves are actually created by neighbors planting wildlife-friendly plants in their own backyards. Alarmed and Frustrated Like so many of us, Adrian, a wildlife friend, scholar and speaker on the topic, became alarmed by the rapid decline in wildlife populations he was seeing. When he saw that politicians were ignoring the issue, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He connected with like-minded neighbors, and together they hatched a plan. Each neighbor would plant wildlife-friendly plants in their own yards and together they would work toward creating a local nature reserve that, added up, would equal the size of a soccer field. Dr. Adrian has seen a lot of enthusiasm for his idea, as you will learn in this interview. His neighborhood in Felixstowe England has embraced it wholeheartedly. And as an important fringe benefit: the community has come together. Neighbors have come to know one another, and they continue to work on projects that will benefit all involved. A Symbiotic Relationship Just about all of us know the soul-rejuvenating effects of visiting a park or nature reserve. Not so long ago, we didn't have to travel miles to experience and interact with nature. But, the advent of the industrial age brought with it in increase in city-living. And even suburb developers rarely gave a thought to preserving and protecting local wildlife. The studies that show how beneficial spending just a little time in nature can be, are numerous. So why not create a space that helps both humans and wildlife by encouraging their interaction? Here and Now I was truly inspired by Adrian and I've become convinced that his idea is powerful. In fact, The Sustainable Living Podcast will be featuring Adrian's tips for creating your own community nature reserve on future episodes of the podcast. Be sure to listen to the very end of this episode to hear Adrian's first tip. If you are as disturbed as I am about the alarming decline in wildlife around the world, you may wish to share this idea with your own neighbors. It's nice to know there is something we all can do to help wildlife here and now. For more information about starting a community nature reserve: https://www.positive.news/2017/environment/24915/the-nature-reserve-that-social-media-built/ For lots of hints and tips about individual wildlife friendly plants: https://www.facebook.com/FelixstoweCommunityNatureReserve

The Suburban Micro-Farm is Amy Stross' new book chronicling her experiences on her 10th of an acre homestead. When Amy moved to a house with a typical suburban sized yard, she didn't have any background in gardening, let alone suburban farming. She joined a CSA because she wanted local and fresh food. That particular CSA encouraged their members to help on the farm. This got her hands in the dirt and was her first introduction to growing food. It didn't take long for her to realize that she really liked raising her own vegetables. Remember that Amy started her garden experience on a farm? She, as do many others, had the idea that one needs lots of land to be able to grow food - even for a family of two. That brought her to participate in a land share program since she thought that her property was too small. She basically rented a piece of land, cultivated, planted and nurtured the crop and gave the property owner part of the harvest as payment. Amy had to travel an hour by car each way to tend to her garden. After one growing season, Amy decided that there had to be a better way. She looked at the land around her house and made the decision to try to grow fresh veggies right at home. That was the start of her true suburban farming experiment. But like most people when buying a house they did not base their decision on how suited the property was for gardening. Good thing that Amy likes a challenge. She was interested in finding out how to overcome difficulties such as too much shade (three big trees that pretty much shade the whole back yard) or as a sloping yard. Since the backyard was so very shady, she decided to start gardening in her front yard. However, Amy wanted her yard to look similar to the rest of the neighborhood even though she wanted to produce food. She and her husband were newcomers in this area and didn't want to look or be perceived as too different. That influenced the planning of their new front yard design. They planted a variety of fruiting shrubs such as strawberries and black berries. Even small cherry trees made it on the list. Amy's goal was to share her bounty with her neighbors. So, she asked herself: "Would you rather eat a Strawberry or a Turnip?" We all know the answer to this, right? Not only did Amy share the bounty of the garden with the neighbors, she even made strawberry jam to give away. That makes me want to be Amy's neighbor! It didn't take long for neighbors to view Amy's Garden as a great asset to the community. Even a dedicated lawn lover who watched the strange (in his eyes) transformation from a perfectly nice lawn to this wondrous food landscape became a believer. After taking a tour of Amy's garden, he offered a piece of his garden to Amy to grow food on. The suburban farming operation was growing! She jumped on this opportunity and involved the neighborhood kids with building and tending the new garden. Well, Amy did most of the work but the kids enjoyed the harvest. Again, I want to be her neighbor. Amy planted cherry trees on the grass strip between the sidewalk and the street. Here are some of the reasons for this choice: Why not - it was an empty space with access to sun light. Cherry trees can withstand being frequently "watered" by dogs. Cherry blooms are so pretty. It is easy to keep the trees neighbor friendly with the right pruning. Cherries don't create a big mess like some other trees do. The Permaculture term fruit tree guild explained. A tree in the center. Under the tree different herbs are planted which fulfill a variety of functions like attracting beneficial insects, deterring others, being used as living mulch and more. Bulbs such as daffodils planted around the perimeter might distract digging animals like gophers and even deer. Comfrey is a Permaculture favorite to plant around trees - and everywhere else. Chives repel pests and have flowers which bring in beneficial insects. Other topics we touched on during the interview: What to do when there are pests? Become a detective. Amy explains how she found the problem involving her cherry trees and solved it without using any pesticides whatsoever. Nitrogen fixers are an important element of the plant guild. Amy also shares her personal health story and how gardening and her career change helped her on her path to wellness. Permaculture and her garden experiments inspired her to start blogging about her suburban farming experience. Her blog is called The Tenth Acre Farm and I highly recommend it. Our conversation led us to one of my favorite topics- soil. And of course the importance of compost in the soil. Amy dedicates quite a bit of her book to these topics and you will find lots of good information. Another of Amy's experiments which spoke to me was the idea of a color garden. One year, everything is red, another year, everything is yellow or even purple and blue. That sounds like such a fun idea. If you are interested in buying Amy's book, you can do so directly from the book's website, a

Dawn and Chris Agnos are two of the most thoughtful people you can speak with on the topic of navigating turbulent times. Running the massively popular Sustainable Human Facebook page has put them at the forefront of a strong, but sometimes disjointed, movement toward change. Chris has never shied away from taking on the controversial issues of today via social media. Over and over again, through memes, short films and simple questions, he tries to prod his Facebook followers to reexamine popular arguments they often take at face value. As an energy healer and intuitive empath, Dawn takes the personal approach. In her work she has repeatedly seen how a focus on external, materialistic pursuits distracts people from the inner evolution that really does lead to happiness. She works to help people regain the inner guidance and self-awareness that leads them to happier, heart-centered lives. Together, they are doing their part to make the world a better place. But right now, the world requires special consideration. Elections and political movements around the globe seem to have created an atmosphere of divisiveness, which has a lot of us apprehensive, if not downright fearful. It's time to take a fresh look at the world, and more importantly at ourselves so that we remain firmly on the path to creating the world we all want. In this discussion, Chris shares some of his own experiences regarding sniffing out hidden agendas; finding solutions that work for us; and a new initiative at Sustainable Human designed to assist people with their own sustainably-oriented projects and with sharing their inspiring stories. Dawn breaks down how media programming affects us negatively, the importance of integrating your mind and heart; and the importance of developing self-awareness. 3:00 - Chris on sniffing out hidden agendas 8:00 - Dawn on the importance of analyzing our feelings and intentions 12:00 - Dawn on her own journey toward self-awareness 15:00 - The value of living from the heart 17:00 - The dangers of needing to be liked 18:00 - The dangers of ignoring the heart 28:00 - A new initiative at Sustainable Human 31:00 - Crowd-sourcing for your project - Heroes and Friends http://www.heroesandfriends.com/landing 33:00 - The end of Sustainable Human gift economy website 37:00 - The importance of developing discernment 39:00 - Focusing on the highest good for all 40:00 - How survival stress keeps us from emotional integration 44:00 - The importance of being clear on your intentions 45:00 - The broken promises of capitalism 46:00 - What Dawn learned from her millionaire clients 47:00 - Misguided feminism 56:00 - Being true to yourself 1:00 :00- The mind as just another way to sense 1:05:00 - How to get help with your sustainability-oriented project 1:06:00 - A tip for navigating life more effectively

Weather is on our mind. Marianne has water from all over the neighborhood flowing theoretical in a culvert through her yard. In reality, the whole yard is flooded. Jenise is being inundated with snow. As a matter of fact, the power lines are down and the city of Big Bear is without electricity. Good thing Jenise has solar set up with batteries to serve their water pump and keep the kitchen and the main part of the house going independently from the grid. Her wood stove keeps her cozy and can double to heat water and food. Storm or no storm, Jenise is prepared and comfortable. This got us thinking about being prepared for emergencies in general. California is prone to earthquakes, other areas have tornadoes, hurricanes, prolonged drought - you name it and it is happening somewhere and people have to be ready. Earthquakes are the most likely emergency in Southern California and can cause power outages. Our minds were on that subject anyways due to Jenise being in the middle of one as we were recording. The first thing which came to mind was that in most urban situations no power means no water since electricity is needed to keep the water coming through the pipes. Marianne is prepared with several 5 gal containers filled with tap water, a 275 gallon rain tank and several 55 gal barrels. She has charcoal water filters and wood to make a fire for boiling water. That still is not that much water, but her neighbors pool holds thousands of gallons of water, and as long as the basin stays intact it should be a good emergency water source for the neighborhood. That let us to explore the importance of community in an emergency situation. We both think that the time to start getting to know your neighbors and explore ways to help each other is now. Once an emergency is upon us, it might be a little late in the game. The idea of creating an off- grid challenge came up. It is certainly something to explore and flesh out more. For most of us, it would be hard to do. For example, driving a car is not exactly an off grid activity. I many areas, that is easily avoidable. In Southern California, not so much. Everything is built around automobile use. Houses are built far from stores. Kids don't have a safe way to walk to school even if the school is close enough. Gardening is a great way to start cooperating. Not everybody needs to grow everything. Or seeds can be shared, and of course the bounty of the garden. Jenise and her husband were in the big earthquake in San Francisco and had no power for days. That was pre-cell phone time and even communication was shut off. They pulled out their camping gear and were okay during that trying time. We think that it is a good idea to have enough food for a while stored in your home. Jenise even recommends the freeze dried emergency food, Marianne rather sticks to rice and beans. We both agree that storing seeds with the idea to plant a garden in case of an emergency is a bad idea. As many a gardener knows - there is a bit of a learning curve involved to get to the desired end result of an abundant garden. Jenise had read an article on 10 ways to prepare for an economic collapse. One of the suggestions we think is applicable for all times is to build a local economy and be more independent from needing goods from far away. Imagine not only your food grown close by, but your clothing made by a seamstress or tailor down the street, somebody knows how to make shoes and it probably will be easy to find a home brewing enthusiast. An herbalist can take care of ailments, a massage therapist and yoga teachers all working together to keep bodies and minds healthy. I bet if we get to know our neighbors, we have lots of skills right around us. Marianne knows that within walking distance of her house is an electrician, a plumber, a hairstylist, an alteration business, a soap maker, and several artists and hard core gardeners. That are a lot of resources and skills to draw on. Now add the idea of bartering or an alternative currency and no matter what is going on in the world, this community could be thriving. Diana Leafe Christian shares many ideas and tools for communities to work better in episode 75 and Nicole Bienfang offers a step by step guide to move towards working together as well. Nonviolent Communication has come up in so many interviews lately that we feel it is time to learn this tool. We both believe that if something shows up in life over and over and over again, it is probably time to check it out. Stay tuned for a future episode in which we will share what we learned. Nonviolent Communication Training Course Marshall Rosenberg CNVC org: The three hour version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwXH4hNfgPg The nine hour version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4tUVqsjQ2I Chris Agnos: How wolves change rivers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysa5OBhXz-Q Small efforts combined can make a huge difference. A shout out to our listeners for being part of the change. A big Thank You to al

Episode 79 - Bonding with Your Soil Building a good relationship with your soil may not be high on your list of New Year's resolutions. But it's key to establishing a healthy, abundant garden, according to Linda Borghi. In this episode of the podcast, Linda, co-founder of the online educational site, Farm-A-Yard, returns to dig a little deeper into the topic of soil. Nurturing the Micro-Cosmic Community The micro-cosmic community beneath our plants has a tremendous impact on them, she notes. And by nurturing this community, we give our plants a powerful advantage. There are so many things we can do that are simple and cost very little. For instance, as Linda says, worms can turn your coffee grounds into a beneficial addition to your soil: worm castings. Maintaining a worm bin is one way to produce your own castings. But putting the worms directly into your soil can eliminate the middle man. The benefits of building healthy soil aren't limited to plant health. The direct skin-to-soil contact you get from gardening has also been shown to improve health both mentally and physically. Linda share's her own personal story of how gardening helped her recover from a debilitating illness. Building Soil Energetically Linda learned all about nurturing soil on an energetic level through her study of bio-dynamic farming. But then she met her partner in Farm-a-Yard, Evan Folds. Evan has taken these ideas to a new level via what he calls, "bio-energetic" farming, which he discussed with me on a previous episode of the podcast. I have to say, as a yoga teacher and long-time meditator, nurturing my garden on an energetic level holds great appeal for me. So I'm excited to try Evan's "Compost Tea-in-a-Box" which you can get here with 10% off by putting "lettucelady" in the Discount Code box. (The code works for any size of Compost Tea in a Box, but Linda recommends the $49.97 size because it contains an air pump and air stone.) Making compost is an art, Linda says. But once mastered, its beneficial effects can be truly miraculous. Just have a look at what's happening in Egypt. A Revolutionary Act Growing your own food is a revolutionary act, as we note in our discussion. The ability to produce our own, non-toxic food can provide a significant measure of security and independence in uncertain times. But what if you could actually make a living from it? Teaching folks how to do just that is Linda's mission. She shares her beautiful vision of a world transformed by abundant gardens during our chat. If you're interested in building a better relationship with your soil, you may want to check out Linda and Evan's upcoming free webinar on "How to Handle a Soil Emergency" http://farm-a-yard.com/gfem/Soil_Emergency_SL It takes place Friday February 17, at 4pm ET/1 pm PT. I know I'll be checking it out! (Disclosure: Sustainable Living Podcast is an affiliate of Farm-A-Yard.). Chronology of discussion points in this episode: 7:00 Soil is a living organism 10:30 Worms for improving sandy soil 14:00 Other ways to improv soil 15:00 Coffee grounds for worms 16:00 - We are not gardeners, we're soil managers 17:00 - How working with soil directly benefits human health (article about gardening soil and depression, Earthing and ions) 21:00 Bio-dynamic farming 25:00 Bio-energetic method 28:00 Compost in a box (microbe makers link) (lettucelady promo gets you 10% off) 30:00 The art of compost 31:00 Greening the desert in Egypt 33:00 The revolutionary act of growing food 35:30 The dangers of "stupid" markets 38:00 Self-reliance 39:30 - Earning a living by growing food in your yard 42:00 - Even Folds webinar on soil fertility 44:00 Soil and the transformation of the world 52:00 Benefits of developing a relationship with the micro-community 53:30 Benefits of understanding water better

Fertilizer from Food Waste Tinia Pina is making fertilizer from food waste. How cool is that? During our interview, we learn that Tinia was volunteering in an inner city school located in what we call a food desert - an area where access to fresh food is either non existing or not affordable to the population. She was helping students study for an examination and noticed that most had donuts for breakfast. While they started out the day with lots of energy, after a few hours, the students were unable to concentrate while she, fueled with a healthy breakfast, had no problem to keep going. She also noticed that New York was producing huge amounts of food waste which had to be transported far to be disposed of. These were some of the experiences which gave Tina the idea to produce fertilizer from food waste and ideally help to grow fresh produce right in the areas where none was available. Tinia Pina's Bio: Tinia received her B.S. in Business Information Technology from Virginia Tech and has six years of experience in the financial services industry and five years as a business development professional in the sustainability industry. Her experiences related to advocacy and community building through food waste management, food systems and sustainability have fueled her passion to increase our communities' resilience, prosperity, and knowledge to help us live more conscious lives. Tinia's pioneering business model has earned her a Huffington Post Millennial Impact Grant, the American Express Emerging Innovator award and a MillerCoors Urban Entrepreneur grant, among other honors. Our interview 1:00 Introducing Tinia Pina and Re-Nuble 3:00 What is Hydroponics? 6:12 Different Hydroponic systems NFT short for Nutrient Film Technique Deep Water Pool Technique 7:00 Re-Nuble gives the same results as mineral fertilizers which is difficult if not impossible to achieve with other organic fertilizers. The best part, Re-Nuble is made from organic food waste. 7:30 Even Ikea sells hydroponic system most common crops; basil and other herbs, lettuce, tomatoes can be grown indoors or in a protected outdoor area 8:30 Why Tinia started the company Work in the financial service industry Volunteer work with New York Cares Awareness of food waste on one side and bad nutrition for the students on the other Consciences and spiritual person 12:50 New York City Ag Collective Bringing food to underserved areas Teaching skills to High school students New York Sunworks is doing a great job already 17:25 Vertical Farming and repurposing of empty warehouse spaces 19:25 Rooftop Farms Gotham Greens http://gothamgreens.com/our-farms/ Brooklyn Grange http://www.brooklyngrangefarm.com/ 19:52 Aquaponics Edenworks http://edenworks.com/ 21:00 Ways to follow Re-Nuble and Tinia Website and social media links: (1.) Company website: www.re-nuble.com (2.) Twitter: https://twitter.com/re_nuble (3.) Google +: https://plus.google.com/+Re-nuble (4.) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReNuble/ (5.) Instagram: instagram.com/re_nuble (6.) Pinterest: https://uk.pinterest.com/renuble/ 22:00 Sourcing locally and what is organic. Sourcing from a 200 mi radius Organic vegetable waste Omri certified input http://www.omri.org/ 23:40 The Re-Nuble products https://www.re-nuble.com/collections/all 27:26 Biomimicry 29:56 How to obtain the Re-Nuble fertilizers 31:00 A fertilizer has to be permitted in each State, who knew? Did Tinia's background in the financial sector make it easy breezy to start this business? Tina shares her experience and lots of resources for anybody who is thinking about starting their own business. Score www.score.org/ Work full time for the first three years and around the clock on the company and invested all her money into the project Received some grants for research and development Project seed money Gust https://gust.com/ F6S https://www.f6s.com/ Setting a deadline to evaluate if it is time to go back to a full time job Getting product into thought influencers hands to evaluate and give feedback Future plans: Be able to serve the industrial customer Explore interest in the process expressed by countries like Tanzania and Pakistan where there is an abundance of food waste, but not so much water. 39:00 Tinia turns the tables and starts interviewing me Urban Permaculture Toby Hemenway who sadly passed away recently His book: Gaia's Garden Links to places and organizations near and dear to Tinia: (1.) NYC Agriculture Collective (2.) NY Sunworks (3.) Sprout By Design (4.) Skyponics If you enjoyed this episode, kindly hop on over to iTunes and give us a rating and subscribe How to reach the The Sustainable Living Podcast: Click here to subscribe via iTunes Click her to subscribe via RSS Feed Click here to subscribe via Stitcher Website: www.sustainablelivingpodcast.com Facebook: Sustainable Living Podcast Page https://www.facebook.com/sustainablelivingpodcast/ Sustainable Living Tips, Tools & Tactics Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1557990901

Grace Gershuny is the Organic Revolutionary. She is the author of the book by that very name - a memoir of her life long effort to support healthy soil for our planet and healthy food for all who live on it. Grace was one of the people who dedicated years of their life to develop the USDA Standards for Organic. Not only was the process long, but also difficult. The mayor companies with interest in industrial agriculture we called Monsanto in the podcast since most everybody knows what that name stands for. But Monsanto is of course not the only company producing chemical fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides and GMO crops. Opposition from those companies was expected, but not from the organic activist crowd which apparently became quite nasty and hate mail was the new normal for Grace for a while. To add insult to injury, politics plays a big role in Washington, including office politics. In the end, Grace was no longer part of the team writing the final standards and she feels that they were a far cry from what they started out with. The book is her attempt to set the story straight. It took her 15 years to be able to write it as it stands today. It can take a long time to heal from feeling deeply hurt and abandoned by your peers and accepting that much better standards were intended and almost adopted. But such is life. Grace continues teaching and advocating for agriculture providing a healthy living and working environment for the farmer and healthy food for all. These are the topics we addressed in out interview. 1:00 Many people have misconceptions about the process of creating the USDA standards. 2:50 Activist community has many different notions of what the standard should be. 4:00 Right wing background of the organic movement 5:00 Back to the land and start of involvement in agricultural organizations First organic certification program for NOFA Invited to write USDA guidelines in the mid-nineties A marketing program, not a bible 60s idealist realized growing vegetables doesn't make money - you have to sell them. Grad school and TREC Book The Soul of Soil - still in print Rural Education Center: many great teachers and leaders and thinkers in the alternative movement. Bill Mollison, the founder of Permaculture among them. Funded through grands and gifts Start selling Yogurt - Stony Hills Farm Build on early Vermont experience of growing a market garden, organizing a farmer's market and helping to start a cottage industry Farmers markets today Grace has a Masters Degree in Extension education - not offered any more at the University of Vermont The teacher Social Ecology At present: on line masters program in Sustainable Foodsystems USDA The activist community undermined a better suited writing of the standards Organic is not about the products we use, but about doing what is the best for the environment and the soil Push for GMO labeling law got derailed by Monsanto (and others like them) agreed to keep GMO out of organic. We need as many acres, farmers and eaters to go organic Organic farming, no matter which style, sequesters more carbon in the soil than even no till GMO farming There are about 100 certifiers worldwide who set their own fees The story of Fred There are no silver bullets Gardening is a form of therapy Visit our Website for more links and information Grace Gershuny can be found at the Organic Revolutionary If you enjoy our show, please leave us a review on iTunes or where you get your podcast from. Also, we love to hear from you. Visit our website and leave a comment.

Episode 76 - The Transition There are lots of folks out there looking for ways to create an economic transition to a more resource-based system. They're done waiting for our government or other big organizations to take the first step. Like our former guest, Michael E. V. Knight, they believe that real solutions will begin with individuals implementing new systems in their own lives and in their own communities. But too often, these folks are duplicating the efforts of others and re-inventing the wheel, creating needless work and minimizing their effectiveness. Wouldn't it be great if there was a place where they could find resources, education and networking opportunities to help? Gathering the Tribe There is. The Transition seeks to unite people who are willing to take action towards enhancing and protecting all life and our environment for future generations. It's purpose is to construct real solutions by providing the support, space and resources to do so via the community's collective knowledge and common heritage of the Earth's resources. The Transition also works towards discovering the root causes of major issues we face and proposes alternatives to the destructive systems we have in place today, supporting an economic transition. It's website platform can also be useful to those finding themselves in many different life situations such as those who live communally; those trying to create new social change groups or alternative living situations; or those already involved in growing networks of activists. Creating an Economic Transition In this episode, Nicole Bienfang discusses how The Transition helps people take action. Nicole is an entrepreneur, attention economist, interdisciplinary thinker, activist advocate, consultant, social artist, cultural creative, social architect and a founding member of The Transition. Nicole also shares a bit of her story and how she got involved with The Transition. Surprisingly, her story begins with the same activity that woke Marc Angelo Coppola up: binge watching documentaries. 1:00 - Chronic Illness - Binge documentary watching 3:00 - The Venus Project - Resource Based Economy 6:00 - Michael E.V Knight - Build a Resource Based Economy Now Facebook Group 10:00 - Intentional Communities considered patchwork solution by Venus Project 11:15 - Identifying common themes within the tribe 13:00 - Decided to create our own website 15:15 - Status of RBE Facebook Group now 16:30 - How the website helps people interested in taking action 18:00 - Pitfalls of too many groups trying to do the same thing 20:45 - Difference between The Transition and Transition Towns 24:15 - Top Down vs Bottom Up Approach 27:45 - Objectives of The Transition and how it takes action to meet them 29:45 - Identifying best ways to start taking action and developing "Your Action Plan" 31:00 - Matching resources to needs 32:45 - The Transition is a reciprocal organization - Stone Soup 36:45 - The powerful hidden fringe benefit of all this 39:30 - "There is no soup unless you put in some potatoes" 41:45 - Making fringe society mainstream 43:30 - Attracting and organizing volunteers and groups 45:00 - Developing a crowd-funding platform for funding member projects 47:30 - Some of the projects that are being helped by the site 49:30 - Site being used as a filter to find serious people for projects 51:00 - How can people make the best use of The Transition website? 54:45 - The importance of non-violent communication 57:30 - The importance of re- assessing the usefulness of our current system 59:00 - Ways to contribute to the Transition community and benefits of contributing 1:02:20 - Yearly conference at Twin Oaks Intentional Community

Intentional Communities, Sociocracy Diana Leafe Christian is author of Creating a Life Together: Practical Tools to Grow Ecovillages and Intentional Communities, about forming successful communities and ecovillages and Finding Community: How to Join an Ecovillage or Intentional Community She is former publisher Ecovillages, an online newsletter http://EcovillageNews.org, and formerly edited Communities magazine in the US for 14 years. Diana Leaf Christian lives in an Ecovillage in the Mountains of North Carolina 2:55 90% of Ecovillages fail, only 10% succeed 4:23 The ingredients to Success A shared vision, mission and purpose A fair and participatory method of self-governance Sociocracy Clear Agreements in writing Communication skills - Non Violent Communication recommended Restorative circles Method of accountability Community glue Project management Clear and thorough membership process What is Sociocracy? What is consensus 13:45 It can happen that an idea will never make it off the ground if consensus is abused - premature proposal death 14:29 How to reach Diana https://dianaleafechristian.org 14:47 A bit about the San Diego event 17:27 different types of community formation 17:33 Diana's book: Finding Community 19:00 Co-Housing neighborhoods 21:00 Shared Group Household 21:42 Eco Village 23:47 Housing co-op 25:31 A virtual neighborhood 26:34 Rural retreat and conference centers 27:47 Other kinds of rural communities - sexual orientation or interest based 28:06 Rural back to the land communities 29:00 Commune 31:00 Restorative Circles/ Restorative Justice 36:00 Event at Emerald Village in Vista, CA 37:00 Sociocracy explained 38:28 Four kinds of benefits Meetings go better Get more done Better organized, more transparency and accountability More connection and good will Brief overview of Sociocracy Governance Decision making Feedback loops 7 parts Series of circles with clear objectives Continuous improvement through feedback loops Creating proposals Considering and deciding Proposals Selecting people for roles Feedback Consenting to circle members 47:30 3 day sociocracy workshop in San Francisco Eco Village To find out more about Diana Leaf Christian visit her website Visit our website Sustainable Living Podcast Please rate and review us on iTunes, Stitcher or where you get your podcasts from. We highly appreciate that! More on the San Diego event

Episode 74 - The Valhalla Movement Freedom culture, as defined in the Valhalla Movement video below is "a collective state of being that empowers and encourages all individuals to contribute their unique gifts to the world." It's the mission of Valhalla Movement members to live in and help to spread freedom culture around the world through online and offline efforts that focus on sustainability, community, knowledge and action. Founding member, Marc Angelo Coppola says it begins with self-sustainability. Wake up! Marc began his journey with a big wake-up period. For him it involved watching a lot of documentaries that told the story of what's going wrong in the world. We've all been there. Most of us either end up turning to some form of distraction or else we carry the weight of mild depression as a result. However Marc chose a different response. He chose to live a life that no longer perpetuates the nightmare and he chose to share his journey with others. Marc recognized early on that building a community around these ideas was essential. He began on a five-acre piece of land in Montreal, Canada with a plan to build the school he wished he could have gone to. He gathered a group that was dedicated to realizing the same plan and igniting a global passion for sustainability, self-reliance and collaborative action. The Valhalla Movement was born. How do you change culture? I was inspired by this chat with Marc. We touched on many themes that occur repeatedly in the global awakening that is now happening: for instance, the idea that our own imaginations, when allowed to truly run rampant, often hold the solutions we are seeking. How do you change the culture? Marc says the answer is telling compelling stories, which, as you can see, The Valhalla Movement knows how to do. The organization makes expert use of digital media to show people what Freedom Culture is and to challenge and educate them to take action. "In today's world the biggest currency is not dollars and sense, it's actually attention," Marc says. "Our goal is to kind of spread the physical (Valhalla Movement) almost like a virus. It's almost like the franchise company that really just carries out the online media and then finds people who are willing to come and train with us and be a part of this movement to try and take on this big social problems." To learn more about from and about The Valhalla Movement, you may wish to check out the following sites: superheroacademy.net buildyourwisdom.com

Julie Zuzek is the Corporate Yogi and a podcaster brining you the Conscious Business with the Corporate Yogi podcast. Julie is helping her clients to find a purpose driven business life. In our conversation, we talked about the following topics: 2:42 Listen to cues. Often fear is holding us back from what we want to do. 2:59 Julie's podcast: Conscious Business with the Corporate Yogi 4:48 What does coaching look like? 7:09 Money and worthiness 7:49 When we as entrepreneurs are asking for money- it is based on who we are. If we are working for a corporation- it is based on what we do. 8:37 Julie has three podcasts dedicated to our relationship with money - your money blue print. There are three podcasts because money is such a huge topic for most of us. She is drawing on three books which influenced her thinking. Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker Money and the Law of Attraction by Esther and Jerry Hicks Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill 10:22 Beliefs impact what we do. Beliefs are formed when we are young through different influencers parents teachers life circumstances TV and other media influences Some of the beliefs we might have money is hard to earn I can't do it money is evil people who have money are bad 11:26 The hundred $ game 13:00 Internal work 15:30 The "Shoulds" 17:00 Social media 19:00 Mastermind Julie offers two Mastermind groups: One for people who are ready to launch or are in the early stages of building a business. The other is a high growth group for people who are in business for at least 3 years. 23:03 Sangha - build community 24:20 Retreats and winks from the universe 27:30 Yoga mindset in the business world 29:10 Personal Yoga practice to foster creative thinking and solution finding for problems. 29:59 The monkey mind, the saboteur, the inner mean girl or boy 32:00 Hiding or suppressing your fear makes it blow up big at an inconvenient time 32:32 Are more women or men seeking coaching? 33:29 Free course on goal setting for 2017 for our listeners. Grab it until the end of January 2017. www.thecorporateyogi.com/goals 34:57 The goals that we write down are 42% more successful and likely to happen. 37:10 Winks from the Universe 38:20 Journaling 41:11 Yoga as a solid foundation for what we do. Visit our website for more info: The Sustainable Living Podcast Please leave us a rating and review on iTunes or where you get your podcast from. Yoga and Business, Journaling, Meditation, money, entrepreneur

Jenise and Marianne wish you a very Happy and Healthy 2017 First and foremost, we want to thank all our listeners for being part of our podcast family. We truly appreciate every single one of you and are honored that you are choosing to spend some of your time with our voices in your ears. Thank you! Marianne and Jenise love to hear from you. Email us, tweet at us, join us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, You Tube, Google Plus and let us know where else you all hang out. Let us know what you do to move towards sustainable living. Maybe you are the perfect guest for 2017. This show is short and sweet, just to say hello and share some of our end of year thoughts. This is what we touched on: Journaling Meditation Personal Growth Vision Board Thank you Contact Us: email [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] website www.sustainablelivingpodcast.com Facebook Page:https://www.facebook.com/sustainablelivingpodcast/ Group: Sustainable living tips, tools & tactics https://www.facebook.com/groups/1557990901138562/ Twitter https://twitter.com/sustlivingpod and you can follow us as individuals https://twitter.com/MarianneEWest https://twitter.com/JeniseFryatt Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sustainablelivingpodcast/ You Tube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA73SuaMBnBIaB5OdiL_y6Q Google + https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/104069390129815192006/?pageId=104069390129815192006 LinkedIn The Sustainable Living Podcast iTunes find us by name and subscribe and please, leave us a review. Happy New Year to all of you from the Sustainable Living Podcast.

Stress, Holidays, Thank You and so much more Jenise and Marianne both were sick and talking about the home remedies they used to feel better again. 3:50 Essential oils and Herbs 7:50 Ginger and Cinnamon Tea 8:21 Enough of being sick and on to the chickens 12:30 Jenise's chickens 14:00 Any suggestions how to keep chickens from pooping in the nesting box? Please contact us and let us know! 14:15 How to reach us. 15:45 Jenise is done with her homesteading chores and is getting ready for Christmas. Exploring the questions of gifts and christmas cards 23:13 Be honest with yourself about your finances and what you can afford. 25:30 Change of government and global stress. The answer: meditation. Study about prayer effecting crime rate. 31:35 Jenise's interviews with thinkers developing paradigms of new economy and social systems. The common thread is to create a society with less work, more community, less money, less stress and more satisfaction. 35:30 Non Violent Communication came up in one of the interviews - as it did in Marianne's interview with Amelia. 37:22 The wind blowing at Jenise's house. 37:50 Our twitter handle - took us a second to remember it: @sustlivingpod 38:24 #podernfamily 40:26 The MailMan's survival Guide to the Galaxy Podcast 41:54 The Bro-ron's Podcast 43:22 The Better World Podcast Collective If you are celebrating Holidays this month - we wish you the Best. For more information and links to the study and the podcasts we mentioned, please visit our website http://www.sustainablelivingpodcast.com/

Episode 70 - Ubuntu In the Ubuntu model of contributionism, community members who give just 3 hours per week would in turn receive all of life's necessities and time to pursue their own interests within a supportive community It's a powerful idea that has captured imaginations worldwide. By and For The People According to the Ubuntu Planet USA website, Ubuntu seeks to create a world in which "everything imaginable is obtained, designed, measured, planned, manufactured, implemented, built, planted, cooked, sculpted, painted or provided by the people, for the people." In this week's podcast, Brandon Shalton, Project Manager for Ubuntu Planet USA, gives us the lowdown on this worldwide movement and how it is progressing in the U.S. One Small U.S. Town Brandon is spearheading the "One Small Town" project here in the states, under the mentorship of Ubuntu movement founder, Michael Tellinger. The project seeks to gain the participation of the mayor, the city council and roughly 20% of the population in one U.S. town, in hopes of creating a working Ubuntu model. Like some of the other economic systems we've featured here on the podcast, Ubuntu promotes a moneyless society in which members are encouraged to follow their passions. But as Brandon explains, it outlines a very practical method for transitioning from our current system to an Ubuntu system. A New Economy of Contributionism The point of contributionism is to share with everybody, he says. Thus surrounding communities that are not specifically involved with an Ubuntu system, still benefit by what is created within the system. But, perhaps even more importantly, this sharing with outside communities spreads word of the Ubuntu system that might result in more communities adopting it. I really enjoyed this chat with Brandon and was particularly struck by his practical approach and no-nonsense business sensibilities. They are exactly what's needed to translate such a radical idea into material reality. If you find this interview useful or have anything to add, please let us know by emailing me at [email protected] or by sharing your thoughts about it in the comments below. You may also wish to check out the following related podcasts: Open Sourcing a Sustainable Community What is a Gift Economy?

Marianne and Amelia set out in this interview to explore the importance of Permaculture Teacher Training and to talk about the training Amelia had just completed. However, very quickly their conversation went to the importance of communication and to the most important aspect: Listening. Listening to others of course, but almost more importantly, listening to the Self. What is our Inner self telling us. Are we listening? Are we ignoring it and instead follow the "shoulds" and "musts" which are so plentiful in all of our lives. Before we knew it, we were talking about children, preschool situations, the amount of violence children are exposed to and so much more. Here is more about Amelia: Amelia Roache has made Ocean Beach, San Diego her home for most of 18 years. She started on a decided path of healing over 20 years ago learning the modalities of Healing Touch and Esoteric Healing. Then came T'ai Chi Chih and her accreditation as an instructor. Nonviolent Communication (Marshall B. Rosenberg) followed and became her primary focus of exploration and teaching. Soon after, she came upon Permaculture Design as happen-stance by glancing through a magazine and has been devoted to the practice ever since. Three times certified and recently teacher certified, she brings Permaculture Design "camps" to youth and families and, as a consultant and designer. She continues on the path of healer and embraces "adventurer shaman" ways in combination with soul communication services. She is excited to approach corporate environments and provide many services, including her unique tool for transformation she calls, "Ambient Movement". www.SDrestorativepractices.com

Episode 68 – Tools for Building a Sustainable Community If you're interested in creating or living in a sustainable community, there's a powerful resource you'll want to check out. One Community is a non-profit, world-change organization committed to creating sustainable blueprints that anyone can apply to build sustainable infrastructure and unplug from the "Matrix." Its website is a massive treasure-trove of free information on everything from food, to energy to economics and a whole lot more. The organization was founded by Jae Sabol who in 2010 committed full time as a volunteer to creating it. His background includes 70 certificates of qualification in holistic living, nutrition, and psychology in addition to other areas of study such as social change, community building, organizational management and strategic business development. Through One Community, Jae works with a large network of volunteers to empower systems that work for "The Highest Good of All." As you can imagine, that's a profound shift from systems that merely seek to create higher profits. Open Source and Free Share One Community offers open-source and free-share tools, tutorials resources and do-it-yourself instructions for anyone interested in creating a sustainable community or just living a more sustainable life. The website features information that they can be implemented either as individual components or as a complete self sufficient, self sustainable and ultimately self replicating teacher demonstration community village, city or hub. And it fosters global collaboration for like-minded groups interested in producing more sustainability models that can be replicated. All of this started when Jae began to search for alternatives to the traditional rat race life. During his journey he was fortunate to work with some highly financially successful people. Over and over again he learned that the monetary success these folks were experiencing did not equal happiness. New Systems I was thrilled to meet and chat with Jae, as part of my series on "New Systems" that are emerging to replace our old dysfunctional systems. His One Community website is an amazing online hub for all those interested in new, more effective methods for ensuring Earthlings and Earth thrive together. I hope you'll check out the One Community website. I also hope that you'll share your thoughts about this podcast and any related comments you may have below or by emailing me at [email protected] . If you're interested in learning about emerging new systems that promote sustainable living as well as the organizations that support them

As we realize the truth, that our current economic system is unsustainable, a new vanguard of thinkers has begun to emerge promoting a healthier, more resource-based economy. One of these thinkers is Michael E.V. Knight. Michael was a real estate investor/consultant until seven years ago when two friends asked him to watch the video Zeitgeist Addendum. He watched the video and his life did a 180 degree turn that day. He now spends 50 - 80 hours a week explaining how simple it is for us to change to a world that no longer requires the use of money by anyone. A world where EVERYONE is housed, fed and educated, and poverty no longer exists. Envisioning That Better World This is a topic that I get very excited about because when I listen to stories like the ones Michael shares in this interview, I can begin to envision what lies around the corner for humanity. It's a world that has never existed, at least in our current historical memory. That's why, for many of us, it's been difficult to envision. But (and I know I'm beginning to sound like a broken record on this) we truly need to start envisioning this better world if we want it to actually come to be. It's apparent that Michael is a no-nonsense guy with solid street-smarts. His background in real estate investing shows he has learned how to succeed financially within our current monetary system. To me, this shows he's no sore-loser. From Feudalism to THIS? Michael just happened to wake up to the fact that within the current system we are all slaves, no matter how much money we happen to acquire. Our 40 plus hour per week jobs ensure that we rarely get what we truly want. Over and over again we see that career success does not equal happiness. But perhaps more significantly, we rarely get the time to reflect that might help all of us to wake up to the reality of our situation. When we return from a full day of what is very often soul-sucking work, we are so tired that all we can do is plop down in front of the television. And T.V. merely serves to reinforce the false notion that our slavery is necessary for happiness. Resource-based economy? Most of us don't even have time to wonder what it means. Round and round the hamster wheel goes. But as Bob Dylan once said, "The Times, They Are A-Changin." New Systems Emerging Through his Facebook group "Build a Hybrid RBE Community Now," Michael has attracted many like minds who are working to liberate humanity with new systems. I was thrilled when he put me in touch with several other such thinkers and have since begun a new series of soon-to-be published interviews that I'm calling, "New Systems." This all brings to mind the words of a wise teacher who has predicted that our current economic and geo-political systems are about to come to an end. However he also said that "new systems" that are more beneficial to humans and Planet Earth would be emerging to replace them. I hope you enjoy this interview with Michael, as well as our upcoming series of "New Systems" interviews. You may wish to check out the following podcast episodes: What is a Gift Economy? Shifting to a New Economy An Interview with Chris Agnos of Sustainable Human

Rosemary Morrow has dedicated her life to getting information to people who are very poor or can't get the information otherwise. By information she means Permaculture knowledge - the tools to dramatically improve the lives of her students. Not long ago, Rosemary traveled to Kabul, Afghanistan to teach a group of young peace activists Permaculture. The course was supposed to be via Skype, but the connection was so bad that Rosemary decided to pack her bags and go to a town in the middle of a war zone most people are trying to flee from. That is the kind of woman I got to interview for this podcast. During our hour long conversation we touched on the following: Education in Agricultural Science Working in Africa and realizing that agricultural science is not relevant to people who are hungry Finding Permaculture The author Rosemary Morrow Co-Founder of the Blue Mountain Permaculture Institute in Australia Rosemary's recent teaching trip to Spain, Portugal and Italy Her work in war ravaged countries starting in Vietnam, Cambodia, Uganda and Afghanistan among others Training the teachers Working with refugees Eco villages for refugees World Vision Ted Talk on Architecture that is build to heal Teaching monks in the Himalayas Being cultural appropriate What can permaculture do for the coasts and deltas Sustainable cities Our own actions and their impact Social Permaculture The Blue Mountain Permaculture Website Please visit our website for more links and a more detailed blog post. Also, if you like our show, we appreciate a review and a rating on iTunes. Here is how: Head over to the iTune Store and find the Sustainable Living Podcast Click on Ratings and Reviews Click on Write Review If you are subscribed to our podcast, you might have to unsubscribe or if you are trying to do this from your phone, you have to delete the podcast from your favorite list. Please remember to resubscribe when you are done. Thank you!

Like a lot of folks, Rob Herring was concerned about the toxic systems that produce our food, though he knew practically nothing about alternative farming methods. But through a series of events, he become involved with the campaign to label genetically modified foods in California. From there, his journey eventually led him to making a film about solutions. The film, entitled "The Need to Grow," shares some amazing stories of people who are growing food in ways that do not include toxins; build more nutrient density; and actually help to nurture and improve the land. They wanted to focus on what can be done on a local, community level and ask, "What powers do we have at our fingertips?" The stories they uncovered open a whole new world of possibilities that are being explored, but are perhaps not being publicized as much as they should be. Rob and Ryan connected with Larry Santoyo of The Permaculture Academy in Los Angeles, who shares about permaculture, a system of design that's based on how nature works and is transforming how we grow food all over the world. They also met a powerful 9 year old activist who started a petition to get GMOs out of Girl Scout Cookies. One story led to another, organically, you might say. Thus they were led to a farm called Alegria Fresh that grows a huge amount of nutrient dense food on a relatively small parcel of land using alternative techniques with much less water and fertilizer. They also visited a place in Montana called the Green Powerhouse that diverts waste products from the landfill to create soil amendments and energy. Incredibly, the system is contained within a pyramid. Rob shares some fascinating stories from his journey, that show what average folks are doing to provide powerful solutions to some of our most vexing ecological and health problems. But Rob and Ryan need some financial help in launching the project. If you're interested in supporting them, please go to their kickstarter page, here.

Like many of you, one of the biggest reasons I had for choosing green living as my path was because it was more in line with my values. At that time, I looked around for environmentally friendly and ethically produced products but found they were expensive and difficult to find. I would have loved to have access to "A Greener Daily Life", a website founded and run by Chet Van Wert, to connect "conscious consumers with sustainable, ethical brands." So I was thrilled when Chet agreed to come on the podcast and share his expertise on finding more environmental and human-friendly products for green living. Flowers, Power and Cars I learned a few things. For instance did you know that cut flowers are usually drenched in pesticides? Chet's website gives alternatives. Also, too many of the products we are buying come to us via slave labor. Personally, I have a difficult time understanding why our country continues to import these products let alone allow them to be sold here without informing the public. But thank goodness people like Chet are working to expose this and provide information about alternatives. Another thing I learned is that anyone in the U.S. can switch to wind generated power. Chet explains how it works in this interview. Also, did you know that GM is about to debut a new car that is fully electric and will go 230 miles before it needs to be recharged? Surprisingly it's not that expensive. I don't think you can over estimate the impact our purchasing choices have on the world around us. What we buy offers a very real, and effective method for us to influence commerce in a way that truly benefits humans and our beautiful planet. The Importance of Choosing Well Chet and his website provide a wealth of information about things we buy everyday. So I highly recommend that you check it out. Chet also reminded me of this famous Eleanor Roosevelt quote, "One's philosophy is not best expressed in words. It is expressed in the choices one makes." Wise words to keep in mind as we go about our daily lives. You may also wish to check out the following related links: Stepping Stones to Sustainable Living 7 Steps to Start You on a Path to Simple Living Blue Jeans I Really Want Buying Cut Flowers: Don't Inhale

Greg Peterson's motto is: "I am the person on the planet responsible for transforming the food system." A tall order indeed. is the founder of Urban Farm U - an entity dedicated to teaching how to grow food and live in a regenerative way. Greg teaches in person classes from fruit tree growing and care to how to get started with gardening. Most of those are donation based. He also teaches online classes and has a membership site to learn all you need to know to become a successful gardener. The UrbanFarmU podcast, another of the many enterprises Greg is spearheading, is published 3 times a week and so informative. Check it out. In this interview we explore How Greg got started with gardening (spoiler - he was pretty young) A training program Greg took as a young man which shaped how he sees himself in the world. The start of the Fruit tree program. How gardening makes us healthy. Thinking: What if..... How to deal with the "monkey mind." The Great American Seed up. Why Greg loves his tower garden even though he has a 1/2 of an acre to plant. To find out more about Greg, visit our website and find all links to Greg's activities or visit Urban Farm U