The Good Dirt: Sustainability Explained Lady Farmer

This episode was initially published on April 21, 2023 under the title The Urgent Need for Restorative Gardening
Internationally acclaimed landscape designer, activist and bestselling author of The Garden Awakening and her newly released title We are the Ark, Mary Reynolds discusses her efforts to restore the earth through her global ARK campaign, (Acts of Restorative Kindness). She launched her career by achieving a gold medal for garden design at the Chelsea flower show in 2002, the story of which was made into a 2016 movie called “Dare to be Wild”. She later founded the global movement “We are the ARK”, an organization advocating for more wild spaces and to raise awareness of our current extinction event.
Topics Discussed

Mary's new book We Are the Ark: Returning Our Gardens to Their True Nature Through Acts of Restorative Kindness with illustrations by Ruth Evans

Mary's story of the pivotal moment that changed her career

How Mary reframes the concept of gardens

The ARK concept

How the idea of feeding the world is greenwashing, when we should support the world to feed itself.

Floral designer Amber Tamm @ambertamm



Doug Tallamy, founder of Home Grown National Park - a grassroots organization regenerating local biodiversity

Native species vs non-native plants and how they affect local eco-systems

The 100th monkey syndrome

Shifting Baseline Syndrome/ Daniel Pauly 

How has Mary's mission evolved from The Garden Awakening to We Are the Ark


Mary's project in Westport, County Mayo


The difference between a garden and an ark is intention

How can people become less afraid of the wildness?

Where does Mary find hope that we will be able to save the planet and ourselves? 

Spreading the message of The ARK all over the world


From What is to What If written by Rob Hopkins

The book Silent Spring  written by Rachel Carson


Connect with Mary:

Website: We Are the Ark


Instagram: wildmarymary



🌻 About Lady Farmer:
· Subscribe to The ALMANAC, a Lady Farmer Newsletter & Community
· Visit Our Website
· Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram
· Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail!
Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you!
Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production.
🌿 The Good Dirt Producers:
· Wendy Gray

Original music by John Kingsley. Our technical partner for this series is CitizenRacecar, Post-Production by Alex Brouwer and José Miguel Baez, Coordinated by Gabriela Montequin and Mary Ball. The Good Dirt is a part of the Connectd Podcasts Network.
Statements in this podcast have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not to be considered medical or nutritional advice. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, and should not be considered above the advice of your physician. Consult a medical professional when making dietary or lifestyle decisions that could affect your health and well-being.

CEO of Broken Ground Kareen Erbe has dedicated herself to helping people in cold climates grow their own food so they can eat healthier, live more sustainably and be more self-reliant. She delves into permaculture and how it applies not only to growing food and helping the earth , but also creating community. Kareen helps her clients by designing integrated edible landscapes and encourages them in cultivating community alongside the cultivation of their gardens. She goes into her permaculture design principles for families, those in cold climates, and those who live in urban environments. You will also hear about integrating gardens into lawns, creating beneficial relationships between plants and people, and the benefits of including your neighbors to help with gardening tasks. This episode is about gardening, sustainability, building stronger, more self-sufficient communities and the wider ranging significance of permaculture principles.

Topics Discussed
· Low Waste Gardening
· Growing Food in Cold Climates
· Kareen’s Grandmother’s Diaries
· Permaculture Hot Takes
· Pollinator Gardens
· Taking Before/After Photos
· Kareen’s Most Impactful Books
· Weeds & Welcoming Wildness
· Raising Kids in Nature
· Herbal Lawns
· Quackgrass
· Growing Zones
· Montana Growing Seasons
· Cultivating Lawns & Community
· Permaculture in Urban Spaces
· Embracing Diversity in Gardens
· Hope and Regeneration in Agriculture
· Adapting to Climate Challenges
· Resources and Programs for Permaculture Enthusiasts

Episode Resources:
· Listen to The Good Dirt “151. "Lawns into Meadows" with Author Owen Wormser on Regenerative Agriculture”
· Listen to The Good Dirt “138. The Urgent Need for Restorative Gardening with Mary Reynolds”
· Listen to The Good Dirt “163. Sailors for Sustainability Searching for Solutions: A Journey Around the World”
· Listen to The Good Dirt “110. An Ecological Civilization for All with Andrew Schwartz”
· Listen to The Good Dirt “156. Pathways Toward an Ecological Civilization with Phillip Clayton of EcoCiv”
· Read Gorillas in the Mist by Dian Fossey
· Read Jane Goodall’s Books
· Read "Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture" by Toby Hemenway
· Read "Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants" by Robin Wall Kimmerer
· Read “Earth User's Guide to Teaching Permaculture” by Rosemary Morrow
· Read "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - Tenth Anniversary Edition: A Year of Food Life" by Barbara Kingsolver
· Read "Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard" by Douglas W Tallamy”
· Read "We Are the Ark: Returning Our Gardens to Their True Nature Through Acts of Restorative Kindness" by Mary Reynolds

Connect with Kareen Erbe:
· Website: https://brokengroundpermaculture.com/
· Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brokengroundmt/
· YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/brokenground

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🌻 About Lady Farmer:
· Subscribe to The ALMANAC, a Lady Farmer Newsletter & Community
· Visit Our Website
· Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram
· Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail!
Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you!
Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production.
🌿 The Good Dirt Producers:
· Wendy Gray

Tune in to celebrate the many joys of June--the beautiful weather, carefree childhood memories, the miracle of fireflies and all the berries! Also, hear Mary's reflection on the summer solstice and all the tips for planting by the signs of the moon for the month.

Read more about Slow Living Through the Seasons HERE
https://ladyfarmer.substack.com/t/seasonal-living

PINE TREE GARDEN SEEDS
Order their seeds today from superseeds.com and use our promo code: GOODDIRT2024 for 20% off your entire order!

NEPTUNE'S HARVEST ORGANIC FERTILIZERS 
Use code GOODDIRT at checkout for 5% off your order for products from the ocean to set your plants in motion 🌊



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🌻 About Lady Farmer:

Subscribe to The ALMANAC, a Lady Farmer Newsletter & Community

Visit Our Website

Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram

Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you!


Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production.
🌿 The Good Dirt Producers:
• Wendy Gray

On the other side of the interview this week, we're sharing the episode we did with Bailey Van Tassel of Garden Culture Podcast! We'll be back next week with another interview from The Good Dirt!
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Emma and Mary Kingsley are the mother-daughter duo behind Lady Farmer, a brand that began with a sustainable clothing line and now is a successful podcast (The Good Dirt) around slow and conscious living. Emma and Mary talk about each of their childhoods and how it informed their current path together. They chat about what moved them to do a Kickstarter campaign which led to where they are now, on a sustainable path and how they live within that ethos. This chat is a great peek into how it takes nothing other than a passion and interest to move into a life that you're inspired by and proud of. They share about plastic in our clothing, where they shop, and what we all can think about to start getting more intentional.

Emma and Mary's Fave Books:
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
We are the Ark by Mary Reynolds
Love, Nature, Magic by Maria Rodale

For more info on Bailey Van Tassel go to www.baileyvantassel.com and join her monthly gardening membership here: www.thekitchengardensociety.com

In this episode, Mary and Emma sit down with a longtime listener Nathalie Girod, a designer with a rich multicultural background, who shares her journey and experiences in slow and sustainable living. Nathalie discusses how her upbringing in a family with French and Bolivian roots has influenced her sustainable practices, her professional career in fashion design, and her commitment to living a life that minimizes environmental impact.
Key Takeaways


Cultural Influences on Sustainability: Nathalie talks about how growing up with French and Bolivian grandparents who valued resourcefulness and minimal waste deeply impacted her lifestyle choices.


Sustainable Fashion: Nathalie shares insights from her career in fashion, emphasizing the importance of custom-made, slow fashion as opposed to mass-produced, fast fashion.


Daily Sustainable Practices: Nathalie outlines her daily habits and choices that contribute to a sustainable lifestyle, from cooking seasonal food to making her own cleaning products.


Independent Thinking: Embracing slow living requires courage and independent thinking, especially in a world driven by consumerism and convenience.

Topics Discussed

Differences in sustainable practices between Europe and the United States

Nathalie's journey in the fashion industry and her focus on slow, custom-made fashion

Practical sustainable living tips, including:

Cooking seasonal and homemade food

Making homemade cleaning products

Using reusable and low-waste products

The importance of independent thinking in adopting a sustainable lifestyle

Resources Mentioned

Karen Logan's Book: Clean House Clean Planet – A guide for making homemade cleaning products.


Mary Reynolds' Wildlife Sanctuary: Nathalie mentions being inspired by Mary Reynolds to create a wildlife sanctuary.

Sustainable Fashion Tips: Insights on slow fashion and custom-made clothing from Nathalie's experience.


Connect with Nathalie: @isa.maisa on Instagram
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🌻 About Lady Farmer:
· Subscribe to The ALMANAC, a Lady Farmer Newsletter & Community
· Visit Our Website
The Lady Farmer Guide to Slow Living
· Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram
· Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail!
Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you!
Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production.
🌿 The Good Dirt Producers:
· Wendy Gray

Osprey Orielle Lake is back in Part 2 of our conversation about women's roles in healing the land and the work for environmental justice. We discuss the myth of whiteness and hear her discuss how we can reconnect with nature by looking to the earth for our indigenous roots. Osprey discusses the work that WECAN is doing in lifting up Black and indigenous voices in the environmental space. She speaks on how harmful practices like fracking, fossil fuel extraction, and deforestation on indigenous lands and communities of color in the United States is a reflection of systemic racism. In this conversation, we come to a better understanding of how race and poverty are linked to climate injustices by drawing connections between the degradation of land and the targeting of marginalized communities.

Topics Discussed
· The Myth of Whiteness
· Reconnecting to the Land
· Addressing the Problems of the Land
· Reconnecting Ancestral Roots & Practices
· White Supremacy’s Stain on Environmentalism
· Race & Identity
· Disproportionate Impact on BIPOC communtities
· Destroying Lands
· The Desire of Community and Identity
· The Emptiness of Wanting to Belong
· Consumerism & Imbalance
· Separation from the Earth
· Dismantling Oppression
· Centering Women
· Practicing Mindfulness
· The Joy of Rebuilding Our Connection to Nature

Episode Resources:
· Listen to The Good Dirt “194. Empowering Women in Environmentalism with WECAN Founder Osprey Orielle Lake (Part 1)”
· Read “The Story Is in Our Bones: How Worldviews and Climate Justice Can Remake a World in Crisis” by Osprey Orielle Lake
· Listen to The Good Dirt “191. Paul Hawken on Carbon, Climate and Connection”

Connect with Osprey Orielle Lake:
· Website: http://www.ospreyoriellelake.info/OspreyOrielleLake/Home.html
· Instagram @ospreyoriellelake: https://www.instagram.com/ospreyoriellelake/
· WECAN International: https://www.wecaninternational.org/who-we-are
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🌻 About Lady Farmer:
· Subscribe to The ALMANAC, a Lady Farmer Newsletter & Community
· Visit Our Website
· Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram
· Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail!
Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you!
Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production.
🌿 The Good Dirt Producers:
· Wendy Gray