Greenie Guide Podcast

Four Season Foraging teaches people how to safely and sustainability identify and harvest wild edibles. I connected with Maria, the founder of Four Season Foraging, to learn more about the Minneapolis-based company. In the interview, learn more about urban foraging and how to get started foraging in your area. How to start foraging: Follow Four Season Foraging on Instagram and Facebook. Take a foraging class. Maria teaches classes in the Twin Cities, or look for options in your area. Search by your city and the term “foraging” or “foraging class.” Watch Learn Your Land on YouTube. Read Samuel Thayer books. Three books: Nature’s Garden, The Forager’s Harvest, Incredible Wild Edibles. Read the Peterson’s Edible Wild Plants Guide. Look for foraging Facebook Groups to learn about foraging and find foraging opportunities in your area. Live in the Twin Cities? Learn how to get started foraging with this Four Season Foraging blog post. Community gardens are a great place to forage for edible weeds, either by finding in your own plot or by asking plot neighbors if you can pick their weeds. Look for foraging rules for the parks in your city. Example: In Minneapolis parks, you aren’t allowed to forage everything, but you can pick nuts from nut trees. Also, think about contamination where you plan to get your wild edibles. Consider pesticides, and contaminates (such as dogs going to the bathroom!). Forage with caution! Learn about where you can legally forage in Minneapolis on the Four Season Foraging blog. Ask your neighbors if you can forage in their yards. Many people would love to have someone take excess berries or pick dandelions (weeds) for them. Learn more about plantain, what I got to try when I went foraging with Maria. It’s important to spend time in nature, especially if you live in a city. Here are a couple good reads about why nature is important: read this, this, and this. Four Season Foraging Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube Photo credit: Greenie Guide Podcast music credit: Blue Dot Sessions

Rerip is on a mission to keep surfboards out of the landfill. I connected with Meghan, the co-founder of Rerip, to learn more about the organization. In the interview, learn more about Rerip, why it’s important to support zero waste programs, and how to make surfing more sustainable. How to support a more sustainable surfboard industry: Follow Rerip on Instagram and Facebook. Donate your old surfboards to Rerip and give them new life. Learn more about sustainability in the surf industry through Sustainable Surf. Learn more about the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association (SIMA). If you’re in the market for a new surfboard, explore secondhand markets (Rerip and its partners are a good resource!). If you spring for a new surfboard or wetsuit, do a little research to find the most sustainable option. Meghan recommended Firewire Surfboards. Follow surf leaders who care about sustainability. Sustainable Surf has some ambassadors and it’s a good list to start! Commit to one surf location to avoid excessive driving (this will minimize carbon emissions from driving around to find the best spots!). Tell people about the Rerip program so they know where to donate used surfboards. Volunteer with Rerip! Rerip Website | Facebook | Instagram Photo credit: Rerip Podcast music credit: Blue Dot Sessions

The Ms. Smarty-PlantsTM program empowers kids to change the world. Through school assemblies, class field trips and special events, the program reaches over 80,000 kids and adults per year. In the interview, learn more about the Ms. Smarty-Plants program, why it’s important to provide nature-based learning for kids, and how to be an earth hero. How to save water: Follow Ms. Smarty-Plants! And visit the Ms. Smarty-Plants website for ideas and resources. Take shorter showers. Reducing your shower time even just a few minutes makes a huge difference in the amount of water used. Turn off the water while you brush your teeth. Even Colgate had a commercial about this. Eat less water-intensive foods. The Water Footprint Calculator has some great info on water-use in the food industry. Google “water saving tips” and find resources for kids and adults. Check the San Diego County Water Authority for rebates, ideas, and more in the San Diego County region. When doing laundry, only do full loads so you don’t waste water. Save your pasta water! Let it cool and water your plants with it. If you use a plastic water bottle and only have a little water left, use on your plants rather than pour down the drain. Then, recycle the bottle. Incorporate water-saving strategies in your landscape. Utilize greywater, as well as create swales, install a water tank, and use rain barrels. For more water harvesting ideas, check out a past Greenie Guide interview about water harvesting. Visit The Water Conservation Garden in San Diego County for ideas. If you have kids in your life, share some of these Ms. Smarty-Plants resources. Embody the Ms. Smarty-Plants attitude and make taking eco-action fun. If you have kids, look up environmental education programs in your area and/or do a Google search for “fun activities” and your topic of interest. If you want to inspire the adults in your life, create fun challenges for yourself and your friends. Challenge ideas: host a zero waste dinner, lead a recycled-materials craft day, or organize a bike ride to the park. Ms. Smarty-Plants Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube Photo credit: The Water Conservation Garden Podcast music credit: Blue Dot Sessions

Lumbercycle is on a mission to create zero waste utilization of trees, meaning the organization aims to ensure that trees cut down in San Diego are used in the best way possible rather than sent to the landfill. I connected with Tom, the President and CEO of Lumbercycle, to learn more about the organization. In the interview, learn more about Lumbercycle, why it’s important to utilize fallen urban trees rather than send to the landfill and how to get involved in this topic. How to learn more about urban trees and support organizations like Lumbercycle: Learn more and follow Lumbercycle on Facebook and Instagram. Think of a community project you can do! Some ideas: park benches, park fences, Little Free Libraries, Scout projects (Boy Scouts and Girls Scouts), and more. Contact Lumbercycle for the wood to make it happen. Urban trees are valuable in so many ways: carbon sequestration, community beautification, cooling effect, etc. Learn more about urban trees by checking out urban tree organizations in your area (see what comes up when you search “urban trees” and your city). Take a woodworking class to become more self-sufficient and understand this topic more. Search “woodworking classes” and your city. If you’re in the San Diego area, check out Palomar College classes. This is where Tom got started. If you need a tree cut down, let your tree service know about Lumbercycle to save trees from the landfill and maybe save a little money too. If you aren’t in San Diego County, see if there are programs in your area. Get outdoors and enjoy nature, especially the trees in your area. Volunteer with Lumbercycle! It’s fun and you can get wood for your own projects in return. Watch the milling process with a few of my Stories from my Lumbercycle visit. Adopt a tree in your city to help support urban trees. Hug a tree…just kidding, but it’d probably be nice. Lumbercycle Website | Facebook | Instagram Photo credit: Greenie Guide Podcast music credit: Blue Dot Sessions and more Blue Dot Sessions

Reclaimed Goodness is a company redefining the meaning of new through use of reclaimed materials. I connected with Maria, the owner of Reclaimed Goodness, to learn more about the company. In the interview, learn more about Reclaimed Goodness, why it’s important to reduce our waste and how to utilize reclaimed materials for your own creative pursuits. How to start using reclaimed materials: Follow Reclaimed Goodness and other companies that utilize reclaimed materials. Take a class with your city or county. Find out what’s available in your area by searching your city or county’s name and the term “environment.” Follow some of the people and organizations Maria loves for zero waste inspiration: I Love A Clean San Diego, FROM (and learn more about FROM in my interview with the company), and Eco Goddess. Go to your local farmer’s markets to find local businesses and artists. Plus, you never know who you’ll connect with! Keep an eye out for the businesses that are sustainable and focused on zero waste or other green initiatives. Utilize Google! Maria found her construction debris recycling class by searching this phrase: “San Diego County Green Initiatives.” Search by different terms to find cool events or classes in your area. Think about what reclaimed materials you can get crafty with. Then, email/call/visit businesses or construction sites and ask if you can use materials that would just get thrown away. Reclaimed Goodness Website | Facebook | Instagram Photo credit: Reclaimed Goodness Podcast music credit: Blue Dot Sessions

Ethel Studio is a company on a mission to eliminate textile waste. I connected with Maggie, the founder of Ethel Studio, to learn more about the company. In the interview, learn more about Ethel Studio, why textile waste is something we all should focus on and how to support a more sustainable industry. How to support a more sustainable textile industry: Follow Ethel Studio and other companies that utilize rescued textiles in their products. Look up the Sustainable Apparel Coalition and learn more about the entities working to reduce the environmental and social impacts of textile products. Learn more about textiles and the textile industry through Textile Exchange. Read Overdressed about the fast fashion industry and look for other books about ethical and sustainable fashion. Develop an awareness and curiosity for the clothes you currently have and the clothes you buy in the future. Look at the labels and see what they’re made from, start to discover what those materials are and what they mean for the environment, figure out who made the clothes and how transparent the company is, etc. Fashion Revolution is a great resource to learn more about the fashion industry. Buy clothes from thrift stores. Research brands that follow better practices for their workers and for the environment. Support sustainable wellness products. If you need a meditation cushion, get an Ethel Studi meditation cushion. Shop locally. Find sustainable brands. For some ideas to get you started, read this article, this article and this article. I mentioned Krochet Kids in the podcast, so look them up too. Read this article on 9 ways to reduce textile waste from Ethel Studio. Ethel Studio Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Photo credit: Ethel Studio Podcast music credit: Blue Dot Sessions

Little Free Library is the amazing nonprofit responsible for the world’s largest book-sharing movement (did you know: there are over 80,000 Little Free Library sites around the world!). I connected with Branden, the Community Engagement Director at Little Free Library, to learn more about the organization. In the interview, learn more about Little Free Library, why access to books is so important and how to support the nonprofit. How to support Little Free Library: Learn more about Little Free Library with these videos. Check out the Little Free Library sites in your area. The Little Free Library website has a great map to find locations. Or keep an eye out for them as you walk, bike and drive around. Get inspired by libraries around the world. Little Free Library’s Facebook and Instagram are great places to find cool locations, as well as here, here and here. Use your nearby locations. Find books, share books and tell friends about it. Donate to Little Free Library. Start a Little Free Library for your neighborhood (buying a Little Free Library box is one of the best ways to financially support the organization) Sponsor or help support a Little Free Library for another neighborhood through the Impact Library Program. Talk to your workplace, civic group or city about sponsoring one or multiple libraries for the community. It’s a great way to get the company/organization name out there, spend team building money and give back to the community. Learn more about organizational giving options. Learn more about the Native American Impact Library Program. Join the Action Book Club and start a book club with your family and friends. Check out action projects by current groups for a little inspiration. Little Free Library Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Photo credit: Little Free Library Podcast music credit: Blue Dot Sessions

FROM is an incredibly cool company that creates recycled stationery and other goods. I connected with Hillery, the postmaster and creator of FROM, to learn more about the company. In the interview, learn more about FROM, why it’s important to repurpose material and how to get crafty. How to get crafty and use reclaimed materials: Follow FROM on Instagram! Get inspired and get updates on the latest events where you can find Hillery and Al Green in person. Get creative. Find materials in your kitchen or your recycle bin. And don’t be afraid to dumpster dive…recycle bins are much cleaner than trash bins so it’s ok! Shop farmer’s markets for artists and vendors utilizing reclaimed materials. Shop on Etsy. Many shops and individuals sell products made from reclaimed materials. Make your own recycled postcards. Take inspiration from FROM, get the raw material and get crafty! Find the standard postcard size here, measure and cut. Then decorate, write and send. For a postcard tutorials, try this or this. FROM Website | Instagram Photo credit: Leah Lipson Podcast music credit: Blue Dot Sessions

There are so many ways people are making a positive impact for our environment. Each episode, we’ll talk to someone new doing great things for their communities and we’ll share resources to take action. Brook is a water harvester, business owner and educator who helps San Diegans save water in their homes and landscapes. In the interview, learn more about water harvesting and how to save water in your home. How to harvest water (and save water!): Look up Brook’s companies, Catching H20 and H2OME Take a class on water harvesting or get a consultation (if you’re in San Diego, check out Brook’s website) Learn more about water harvesting through Art Ludwig’s website Read Brad Lancaster’s book Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and check out his website to learn about water harvesting Get involved with Greywater Action to support a sustainable water culture Watch Cycle of Insanity from Surfrider Find water harvesting classes through San Diego Sustainable Living Institute Discover water harvesting basics on the Water Use It Wisely website Take the quiz to find your water footprint (or use this more simple water calculator) Observe how water flows on your property Be mindful of water use around your home and find ways to reduce your use Find ways to use less water. Examples: turn off the faucet when brushing your teeth, take shorter showers, put a bucket in your shower as it’s heating up and use that water in your garden.   Brook and Catching H20/H2OME Website | Facebook | Instagram Photo credit: Catching H20/H2OME Podcast music credit: Blue Dot Sessions

How to learn more about urban trees and support organizations like Lumbercycle:

Lumbercycle

Podcast music credit: Blue Dot Sessions and more Blue Dot Sessions