The Sustainable Living Podcast

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 g

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 conside

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. Th

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

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

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

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 co

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

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

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 fo

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  jenise@sustainablelivingpodcast.com marianne@sustainablelivingpodcast.com sustainablelivingpodcast@gmail.com website www.sustainablelivingpodcast.com Facebook Page:https://www.facebook.com/sustainablelivingpodcast/ Group: Sustainable living ti

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

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. t

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

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

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 kno

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 i

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 a

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

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 thoug