Land Language

Land Language
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Join hosts Brit Sastrawidjaya and Bethany Rydmark as they share bold ideas, practical strategies, and inspiring conversations with designers, scientists, vendors, and visionaries who are rethinking the way we design & build our outdoor spaces.

Episodes

  1. Sustainable Wood Practices That Restore Ecosystems with Lynn Morgan

    4 DAYS AGO

    Sustainable Wood Practices That Restore Ecosystems with Lynn Morgan

    Local, sustainable wood is more than a material choice. It’s a connection to land, community, and story. In this episode, Land Language hosts Brit Sastrawidjaya and Bethany Rydmark sit down with Lynn Morgan, Director of Community Engagement at Sustainable Northwest Wood, to explore how regenerative forestry, ethical material sourcing, and cultural stewardship can transform the landscaping and building industries. We dive into the mission that sets Sustainable Northwest Wood apart: a business founded in 2008 to sell only responsibly harvested, regionally sourced wood—no offsets, no greenwashing, no hidden supply chains. Lynn shares their journey of thoughtful expansion, including a new Seattle distribution center, and why transparency and community trust define every step. The conversation moves from forest ecology to personal lineage: Appalachian resourcefulness, the emotional weight of forest loss, and the joy of choosing materials with story and meaning. From pests like the emerald ash borer to blue pine salvage, selective harvesting, and the cultural loss of “enough,” Lynn offers a grounded vision for how the landscape and construction industries can shift toward regenerative practice. What You’ll Learn: • Why local wood matters for climate, culture, and accountability • How Sustainable Northwest Wood built a fully regenerative supply model • The ecological and emotional impact of pests like the ash borer and pine beetle • Selective harvesting and what a truly healthy working forest looks like • How to choose materials that nourish ecosystem integrity • The cultural grief and opportunity inside today’s forest management conversations • Why “enoughness” is a critical value for regenerative design • How story-rich materials change the client experience Chapters: 00:00 Start 00:33 Meet Lynn Morgan (Sustainable Northwest Wood) 01:05 Lynn’s Journey: From Interior Design to Sustainable Lumber 03:37 A Lifelong Relationship with Forests (Not Just a Resource) 05:41 Juniper Origin Story: Restoration Wood & Watershed Comeback 08:52 Juniper Durability, Beauty, and Best Uses 11:53 Designing With Juniper: Length Limits, Character, and Install Tips 14:27 Cutting Through Greenwashing: FSC, Chain of Custody, and Vetting 16:36 What Sustainable Harvesting Looks Like on the Ground (vs Clearcuts) 23:00 PDX Airport Remodel: 800,000 Board Feet + Local Forest Collaboration 27:52 Why Traceable Materials Matter 29:39 PDX’s Responsibly Sourced Wood & Restored Watersheds 30:44 Climate Change, Drier Summers & Cedar Decline 31:30 New Species, Long-Term Planning & Zena Forest 33:21 Price, Values & the Power of Wood’s Story 35:40 Tribal Sourcing, Rebates Back to Forests & Buying Local 37:45 Slow Down, Ask Questions, Build Better 39:16 Why This Lumberyard Is Unique & What’s Next 41:09 Appalachia Roots, Stewardship & Caring for the Land 44:18 Sustainability Isn’t Luxury: Limits, Gratitude & A More Rooted Life 46:31 Forest Tour + Broader Forestry Questions: NZ, FSC & Using Beetle-Kill/Ash 52:04 Close Follow Lynn: Sustainable Northwest Wood: https://www.snwwood.com/Lynn-Morgan Follow Land Language: Land Language Website: https://www.landlanguage.org/ Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelandlanguage/ Connect with Us: Got questions? Ideas for future guests? DM us on Instagram @thelandlanguage or visit our website to share your thoughts. We're building this together. About Land Language: Land Language is a podcast for landscape...

    54 min
  2. Why Your Garden Should Feed You: Kitchen Garden Design & Mindful Growing with Willi Galloway

    5 FEB

    Why Your Garden Should Feed You: Kitchen Garden Design & Mindful Growing with Willi Galloway

    Growing food isn't about producing bushels of vegetables or becoming self-sufficient—it's about cultivating connection, wonder, and daily rituals that nourish both body and soul. In this episode, Brit Sastrawidjaya and Bethany Rydmark talk with garden writer and cookbook author Willi Galloway about integrating edibles into landscapes, discovering overlooked plant parts, and building a breakfast routine centered around garden-fresh vegetables. Willi shares her unconventional journey from college English major to test garden manager at Organic Gardening Magazine to two-time cookbook author. Along the way, she challenges yield-obsessed gardening culture, celebrates the magic of nasturtium leaves on avocado toast, and explains why growing a single bean plant that reaches eight feet tall in a few months is a profoundly life-affirming act. Chapters: 00:00 Start 00:39 Meet Willie Galloway: From Organic Gardening to Cookbook Author 01:54 Willie's Early Gardening Influences 03:19 Journey to Organic Gardening Magazine 05:21 Discovering the Joy of Growing Food 10:17 Incorporating Edibles into Your Garden 19:13 Companion Planting and Garden Maintenance Tips 22:42 The Psychological Benefits of Gardening 23:27 Mindfulness in the Garden 25:11 The Joy of Growing Your Own Food 26:01 Designing Gardens for Wellness 28:24 Incorporating Food into Ornamental Gardens 29:15 Veggies for Breakfast: A New Perspective 33:08 Creating Rituals with Garden Herbs 37:11 Exploring the Northwest Floral Garden Festival 40:14 Connecting People Through Gardening Stories 44:23 Conclusion Follow Willi: Website Willi Galloway on Instagram Follow Land Language: Land Language Website Follow on Instagram Connect with Us: Got questions? Ideas for future guests? DM us on Instagram or visit our website to share your thoughts. We're building this together. About Land Language: Land Language is a podcast for landscape professionals, plant lovers, and anyone who wants to understand what it really takes to build regeneratively. Hosted by contractor/designer Brit Sastrawidjaya and designer Bethany Rydmark, each episode brings you expert insights, practical tools, and honest conversations about transforming the landscape industry from the ground up.

    47 min
  3. How to Work Creatively with Clients and the Land with Xanthe White

    5 FEB

    How to Work Creatively with Clients and the Land with Xanthe White

    Regenerative landscape design isn’t just about plants — it’s about teaching people to be in right relationship with land. In this episode of Land Language, hosts Brit Sastrawidjaya (CEO, Blueprint Earth; stormwater expert) and Bethany Rydmark sit down with New Zealand landscape designer and author Xanthe White to talk about process-driven design, soil and water as living systems, and why restraint is one of the most sustainable design tools we have. Xanthe has spent decades crafting gardens in Aotearoa/New Zealand, writing about “good dirt,” and leading a studio that treats makers, gardeners, and designers as a single ecology of practice. This conversation is a masterclass in how to practice landscape design that is regenerative, human, and site-honoring. Chapters: 00:00 Start 04:25 Xanthe's Journey into Landscape Architecture 07:43 The Philosophy of Landscape Design 11:58 Challenges and Innovations in the Field 23:33 Water Management and Design Stories 38:51 Material Choices and Sustainable Practices 46:03 Future Projects and Inspirations 47:13 Closing Follow Xanthe Xanthe White Design Follow Land Language: Land Language Website Follow on Instagram Connect with Us: Got questions? Ideas for future guests? DM us on Instagram or visit our website to share your thoughts. We're building this together. About Land Language: Land Language is a podcast for landscape professionals, plant lovers, and anyone who wants to understand what it really takes to build regeneratively. Hosted by contractor/designer Brit Sastrawidjaya and designer Bethany Rydmark, each episode brings you expert insights, practical tools, and honest conversations about transforming the landscape industry from the ground up.

    50 min
  4. The Future of Sustainable Landscape Construction with Jenny Jones

    5 FEB

    The Future of Sustainable Landscape Construction with Jenny Jones

    Sustainable landscape construction isn't just about swapping one product for another, it's about questioning the entire system. In this episode, Land Language hosts Brit Sastrawidjaya and Bethany Rydmark talk with Jenny Jones, founder of Terremoto, a Los Angeles-based design studio challenging conventional construction practices through material reuse, labor visibility, and conservation-minded design. Together they explore practical strategies for sourcing recycled materials, the hidden carbon costs of concrete, regional differences in client expectations, and why the most meaningful projects are often the smallest ones where designers maintain ongoing relationships rather than one-and-done builds. Jenny shares candid insights on working with urbanite, the challenges of being labeled "unprofessional" when questioning industry standards, how tech culture influences landscape aesthetics, and why having a material storage yard transforms sustainable design-build practice. Chapters: 00:00 Start 00:36 Introduction: Jenny Jones from Terremoto 01:45 Jenny's Journey into Landscape Architecture 03:36 The Influence of Education and Early Career 05:18 Challenges and Insights in Landscape Architecture 09:13 The Joys of Small Projects and Ecological Restoration 11:52 Materiality and Construction in Landscape Design 20:00 The Role of Technology in Modern Landscape Architecture 26:25 Material Reuse and Sustainable Practices 32:07 Challenges of Small Studio Operations 33:13 Inspiration from France's Reuse Legislation 34:37 Sustainable Practices in the Northwest 35:42 Innovative Materials and Techniques 38:55 The Importance of Repair and Care 42:47 Practical Approaches to Landscape Restoration 47:02 Recycling Green Waste 48:51 Celebrating Material Reuse 51:54 Final Thoughts Follow Jenny: Terremoto Terremoto on Instagram Follow Land Language: Land Language Website Follow on Instagram Connect with Us: Got questions? Ideas for future guests? DM us on Instagram or visit our website to share your thoughts. We're building this together. About Land Language: Land Language is a podcast for landscape professionals, plant lovers, and anyone who wants to understand what it really takes to build regeneratively. Hosted by contractor/designer Brit Sastrawidjaya and designer Bethany Rydmark, each episode brings you expert insights, practical tools, and honest conversations about transforming the landscape industry from the ground up.

    58 min
  5. Native Solutions and Ecological Gardening with Paul Bonine

    5 FEB

    Native Solutions and Ecological Gardening with Paul Bonine

    In this episode of Land Language, hosts Brit Sastrawidjaya and Bethany Rydmark sit down with nursery owner, author, and plant ecologist Paul Bonine (co-owner of Xera Plants, paleoclimatology background, and longtime horticultural educator). Together, they go deep into the future of regenerative landscaping through native annuals, cover cropping, soil biology, and plant-driven weed management. Paul brings decades of experience observing Pacific Northwest ecosystems up close—from clay soils that turn to concrete in summer, to the evolutionary role of native annuals, to the quiet intelligence of succession plants like ceanothus, clover, meadowfoam, and clinopodium. This episode reframes how designers and contractors think about weeds, soil, irrigation, and the plants we choose as tools — not just ornament. This is a foundational conversation for any practitioner seeking to reduce carbon-heavy construction habits, increase biodiversity, and work with the land’s ecological timing instead of fighting it. Chapters 00:00 Start 01:41 Using Plants as Green Mulch and Weed Management 03:07 Meadowfoam: A Natural Solution for Turf Grass 05:01 Cover Crops and Soil Health 09:47 Prairies vs. Micro Forests for Carbon Sequestration 12:51 Paul Bonine's Background and Early Influences 14:01 Soil Management and Mulching Practices 16:25 Cover Crops for Construction Sites 18:54 The Role of Ceanothus in Soil Health 21:01 Succession Planting and Soil Building 24:14 Challenges in the Nursery Industry 27:22 Native Vines for Shady Areas 29:05 The Dilemma of Using Roundup 30:08 Alternatives to Pulling Weeds 30:35 The Importance of Soil Health 33:20 Mulching and Leaf Management 38:19 Native vs. Non-Native Plants 39:23 Adapting Gardening Practices to Climate 42:48 Client Preferences and Garden Aesthetics 45:21 Climate Change and Gardening 51:14 Integrated Pest Management 52:06 End Follow Paul: Website: https://xeraplants.com/ Xera Plants on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xeraplants Follow Land Language: Land Language Website: https://www.landlanguage.org/ Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelandlanguage/ Connect with Us: Got questions? Ideas for future guests? DM us on Instagram or visit our website to share your thoughts. We're building this together. About Land Language: Land Language is a podcast for landscape professionals, plant lovers, and anyone who wants to understand what it really takes to build regeneratively. Hosted by contractor/designer Brit Sastrawidjaya and designer Bethany Rydmark, each episode brings you expert insights, practical tools, and honest conversations about transforming the landscape industry from the ground up.

    54 min
  6. Breaking Ground: Conversations in Regenerative Landscapes

    5 FEB

    Breaking Ground: Conversations in Regenerative Landscapes

    What if the future of landscaping starts with a conversation? Welcome to Land Language,the podcast where landscape contractor/designer Brit Sastrawidjaya and landscape architect Bethany Rydmark bring you the real, unfiltered conversations about building regenerative landscapes. No fluff. No greenwashing. Just practical tools, expert insights, and honest talk about transforming the industry from the ground up. In this introductory episode, Brit and Bethany share their origin story: how they went from mutual Instagram fangirling to launching a podcast with a mission. They saw the same frustrating cycle everywhere: clients wanting sustainability, contractors building what they were taught, vendors producing what sells, and no one taking the first step toward change. We cover: The blame cycle: why clients, contractors, and vendors all point fingersCollective power: how groups like WISE and Oregon Regenerative Alliance shift supply chainsSoil as foundation: what we're losing when we ignore soil healthClimate reality: why old methods don't work anymore (and what to do instead)Education gaps: most contractors were handed a shovel, not a degree in soil scienceThe investment question: does regenerative practice have to cost more?Building courage through community: how incremental steps create industry-wide change Listen if you: Want to build healthier, more resilient landscapesFeel stuck between what you know is right and what's available/affordableWonder if anyone else is asking the same questions you areNeed practical steps, not just idealsCare about the planet and want to align your work with your values This isn't a prescriptive "do it this way" show. Brit and Bethany are learning alongside you, bringing in scientists, vendors, and practitioners to share what's working, what's not, and what's next. Every episode ends with clear action steps. Because if we don't help you implement what you've learned, this is just information that sits in the back of your brain. We're here to help you make change happen. New episodes drop every other Thursday. Subscribe now and join the community building better landscapes, one project at a time. Follow us on Instagram: @landlanguagepodcast Find the show notes on our website: landlanguage.org

    22 min
  • 6 Episodes

About

Join hosts Brit Sastrawidjaya and Bethany Rydmark as they share bold ideas, practical strategies, and inspiring conversations with designers, scientists, vendors, and visionaries who are rethinking the way we design & build our outdoor spaces.

Information

  • Creator
    Land Language
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    6
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Land Language
  • Show Website
    Land Language