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The Good Dirt: Sustainability Explained

The Good Dirt: Sustainability Explained

By: Lady Farmer
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Summary

 Start living more sustainably. The Good Dirt podcast explores all aspects of a sustainable lifestyle with healthy soil as the touchpoint and metaphor for the healing of our relationship with the planet. Mother and daughter team Mary & Emma bring you weekly interviews with farmers, artists, authors, and leaders in the regenerative and sustainable living space.Copyright 2019 - 2022 Lady Farmer Social Sciences
Episodes
  • 237. Composting as a Cultural Shift with Ben Parry of Compost Crew

    237. Composting as a Cultural Shift with Ben Parry of Compost Crew
    May 8 2026
    This week, in honor of International Compost Awareness Week, we're joined by Ben Parry, CEO of Compost Crew — a small but mighty business in the DC metropolitan area helping thousands of households and businesses turn their food waste into something good for the soil. Ben's story is a quiet revolution in itself: a journey from renewable energy to regenerative soil, from powering the grid to feeding the ground beneath our feet.In this conversation, we dig into how composting is transforming what we throw away into a vital resource, the very real challenges of scaling community-based systems, and what it takes at the household, neighborhood, and policy level to shift our cultural relationship with food waste. Ben shares Compost Crew's growth from a small food-scrap hauler with a handful of customers to a regional force serving thousands of homes, the partnerships with local farms that bring composting full circle, and his vision for a future where dropping your food scraps into a compost bin is as ordinary as not littering on the highway.It's a hopeful, grounded conversation about the patient work of building better systems one bucket, one alley, one farm at a time.Main topics covered:The evolution of composting in the Washington, DC metro areaThe role of systemic infrastructure and community engagement in waste recyclingStrategies to overcome perceived barriers to food scrap compostingThe importance of local, transparent food systems and grassroots momentumFuture developments in composting technology and policyIn this episode:Ben introduces Compost Crew and its mission to keep food waste out of the landfillThe story of DC's curbside composting pilot and the ambitious plans to expand it citywideWhy systemic infrastructure and visibility matter when it comes to building participationHow social perception, education, and regulation shape compost adoptionThe Compost Outpost model — bringing composting to local farms like One Acre Farm in Dickerson, MDThe ripple effects of crises like COVID-19 and global conflicts on recycling supply chains and the case for local self-relianceThe cultural shift needed to treat composting as everyday normalcy — much like the "Don't Be a Litterbug" campaigns of decades pastFuture opportunities: composting in schools, hospitals, and wedding venuesResources & Links Mentioned:Compost Crew — Ben's company, serving the DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia regionCompost Outpost at One Acre Farm — The farm partnership model bringing composting full circleBPI (Biodegradable Products Institute) — How to identify certified compostable bags and packagingThe Energy Switch by Peter Kelly-Detwiler — The book that shaped Ben's understanding of energy and resource transformationMontgomery County Food Scraps Recycling — Local food scraps recycling programs and resourcesKeep America Beautiful & "Don't Be a Litterbug" — The cultural campaign Ben references as a model for shifting normsConnect with Compost Crew:@_compostcrewListen, Subscribe & ShareIf this episode stirred something in you, share it with a friend who's curious about composting — or who's still on the fence about that bucket on the counter. We'd love to hear your own composting story: email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or call our voicemail line at 443-459-1950 and tell us what the good dirt means to you. Your voice might just end up on a future episode.🌻 About Lady Farmer:Subscribe to The ALMANAC, a Lady Farmer Newsletter & CommunityVisit Our WebsiteFollow @weareladyfarmer on InstagramEmail 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 Lady Farmer. The Good Dirt podcast is proudly part of the Connectd Podcasts network.🌿 The Good Dirt Producers:Wendy GrayAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
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    55 mins
  • 236. From Mary: Earth First Gardening with Melanie Cotillo of Lazy Dirt Wildflower Farm

    236. From Mary: Earth First Gardening with Melanie Cotillo of Lazy Dirt Wildflower Farm
    Apr 24 2026
    Spring has a way of pulling us back to the soil — and this season, Mary sat down with someone who has made the health of the soil and the well being of the pollinators and wildlife in her local ecosystem her first priority. Melanie Cutillo is the self-described Plant Wrangler in Chief at Lazy Dirt Wildflower Farm in Mexico, New York, a backyard nursery nestled just east of Lake Ontario, where she grows native and wildflower plants entirely without plastic, peat, or synthetic inputs of any kind.It was a cold January morning walk to the mailbox and a chance encounter with a dried circle of New England aster in the snow that sent Melanie on a quest to grow native plants. The result is a farm, a philosophy, and a way of tending the earth that she calls "Earth First Gardening."This conversation is for every gardener who has ever come home from the nursery with a carload of beauty and a pile of plastic waste—wondering if there's a better way.Melanie and Mary talk about what it really means to be not just a gardener, but a guardian of the earth’s abundance. Whether you have many acres or simply a front porch, a city window or a community garden plot, this episode will remind you that what matters is how we tend to the land we have.In this episode, Mary and Melanie talk about:What makes Lazy Dirt Wildflower Farm different from a conventional nursery — small scale, field-grown plants, zero plastic, and a focus on local ecotype native speciesThe January morning that started it all: a circle of New England aster in the snow and a pair of tracks that changed everythingWhy Melanie ditched plastic entirely — and how a 10-by-25-foot barn full of collected pots finally pushed her over the edgeThe alternatives she found and invented: soil blocking, wool pots, burlap wrapping, and growing in native soil without bagged amendments or peatWhy avoiding peat matters and what's lost when we use it: carbon sequestration, living soil, and a non-renewable resource extracted from ancient bogsThe difference between a native plant and a nativar — and why it matters enormously to the pollinators and wildlife that depend on themHow to ask better questions at your local nursery: Where does the seed come from? Can I bring back my plastic pots? Do you grow from seed on site?The concept of "tending" — and why you don't need land to do it. A street tree, a park path, a porch container can all be a place of care and relationshipNative hydrangeas, dahlias, echinacea, monarda, jewel weed, sweetgrass, and tulsi — stories of plant relationships that illuminate the beauty and intelligence of the natural worldMelanie's best tip for gardeners: make your seed list in July, at the height of the season, when you can see clearly what you have and what you truly need — then recycle the January catalogThe new paradigm: from consumer to guardian, from transaction to relationship, from gardener to grower of communityResources & Links Mentioned:Lazy Dirt Wildflower Farm — Melanie's website, where you can also find wool pots for saleLazy Dirt Wildflower Farm on YouTube: youtube.com/lazydirtwildflowerfarmMelanie's Substack: So Wild Garden — behind-the-scenes of growing a four-acre habitat gardenGarden Circles — Melanie's monthly Zoom gathering for gardeners; third Tuesdays at 6:30pm, with in-person farm gatherings during the growing season (find the link on her website)Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall KimmererThe Wild Seed Project — native seed sourcingErnst Seeds — native seed supplierBlossom and Branch Farm / Brianna Groh — inspiration for Melanie's no-till, native-soil approachMount Cuba Center — research on native plants and their relationship to wildlifeMary Reynolds, previous Good Dirt guest, on the shift from "gardener" to "guardian"Wool Pots — available on Melanie's website; made in Britain from wool that would otherwise be discardedWe'd love to hear from you!Has this episode inspired you to try something different in your garden this season — a native plant, a plastic-free swap, or a new relationship with a tree on your street? We'd love to know. Send us an email at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com, or leave us a voicemail at 443-459-1950. Tell us what you're tending this spring.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🌻 About Lady Farmer:Subscribe to The ALMANAC, a Lady Farmer Newsletter & CommunityVisit Our WebsiteFollow @weareladyfarmer on InstagramEmail 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 Lady Farmer. The Good Dirt podcast is proudly part of the Connectd Podcasts network.🌿 The Good Dirt Producers:Wendy GrayAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
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    1 hr and 14 mins
  • 235. The Cost of Slow Living: How to Align Your Values Without Burning Out

    235. The Cost of Slow Living: How to Align Your Values Without Burning Out
    Apr 3 2026

    What happens when a listener writes in with the very questions your community is wrestling with? You invite her on the show.

    Emily Hillman has spent 14 years in the fashion industry — from the artisan workrooms of Midtown Manhattan to the fast fashion corporate world. After purchasing a 19th-century farmhouse in rural New Jersey and becoming a mother, she found that her priorities had quietly shifted. Finding herself at a crossroads, Emily reached out to Mary and Emma, not looking for all the answers so much as a grounded, honest conversation. .

    This is The Good Dirt's first interview back after a hiatus. Here we’re talking about the real tension so many of us feel: I want to live more simply, more slowly, more intentionally — but how do I actually do that in the life I'm already living?

    If you've ever felt the push and pull between the values you hold and the demands of the world you live in, this episode will speak to you.

    In this episode, we cover:

    • Emily's journey from Vermont roots to New York City fashion workrooms — and what she learned firsthand about the difference between artisan craftsmanship and fast fashion production
    • The "painful catch-22" of slow living: wanting a simpler life that costs money, while earning less because you're stepping back from the corporate grind
    • Why removing moral judgment from your daily purchasing decisions can actually free you to make more sustainable choices
    • Practical, accessible approaches to buying secondhand clothing for kids (and why our audience is already well ahead of the curve)
    • The economics of slow food: buying in bulk, finding local sources, joining a CSA, and why embracing constraints actually sparks creativity
    • Composting as one of the most powerful individual acts for the planet — and tips for making it work even in bear country
    • How small, cumulative changes add up — and why you're probably further along than you think
    • Book recommendations: Redefining Rich by Shannon Hayes, The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, and Jen Sincero's You Are a Badass series
    • The concept of "blue sky thinking" — letting yourself imagine the life you want before the budget anxiety kicks in
    • Reconnecting with nature and the seasons as a compass for finding your authentic calling


    Books & Resources Mentioned:

    • Redefining Rich by Shannon Hayes — [listen to our interview with Shannon here]
    • The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron
    • You Are a Badass and You Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero
    • Fibershed — a network for regional fiber systems and slow fashion
    • Local Harvest (for finding CSAs near you): localharvest.org


    Want to chat with us? If Emily's story resonates with you — if you're somewhere in the middle of this same journey — we'd love to hear from you. Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at 443-459-1950.

    And if you're interested in joining our free, casual Slow Living Through the Seasons cohort, reach out to mary@ladyfarmer.com for the signup link.

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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 Lady Farmer. The Good Dirt podcast is proudly part of the Connectd Podcasts network.

    🌿 The Good Dirt Producers:

    • Wendy Gray


    Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

    Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
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    1 hr
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loved listening to this episode, I felt like I was sat around the table with a hot coffee and good friends, talking about such fascinating subject matters. thank you!

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