Today, Cora has her most personal conversation to date. At her home in Maine, she speaks to her childhood friend Graham Platner about his unique campaign for U.S. Senate. Running as a progressive democrat, Graham hopes to change the American system to support working class families and fight the oligarchy.

"My hope, at its core, is that working people in this country begin to realize that many of the divisive issues that we all find ourselves on opposite sides of are merely there to keep us all divided. And that we can build a real sense of true solidarity with each other over the fact that we all know that the system is not built for us, it is not representing us, and the more of that solidarity that we can build, the more organizing capacity that we can build on the ground amongst working people, the more power that we can take back from the political structure that have left us so unrepresented for so long."

– Graham Platner

Graham and Cora discuss everything from how his military service has influenced his thoughts on foreign policy to the importance of family farms. This is an intimate conversation had in her living room, with Graham sharing his lived experiences that have shaped him into the man who is becoming the political movement of Graham for Maine.

About Graham:

Graham Platner is a Marine and U.S. Army veteran, oyster farmer, and chair of the Sullivan Planning Board, and candidate running for U.S. Senate in Maine, to defeat Susan Collins and win back the seat for working Mainers. Whether it was enlisting in the US Marine Corps, or coming back home to Maine to work in his community, or running for Senate, at the core of every decision Graham has made has been how he can best serve the people of Maine.

After graduating high school in 2003, during the height of the Iraq War, Graham snuck his birth certificate out of his father’s office to enlist in the United States Marine Corps. After completing his infantry training, Graham was assigned to Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion 8th Marines and deployed to Al-Anbar Province, Iraq in January of 2005 where the battalion served primarily in the area east of Fallujah. In 2006, he was deployed to Ramadi, Iraq and served as machinegun section leader at the Government Center. He was deployed again in 2007.

After his third deployment, Graham enrolled at The George Washington University using the GI Bill. Graham quickly realized that his time serving in uniform was not over. So in 2009, he joined the Maryland Army National Guard. He was deployed to Afghanistan the following year where he served as a rifle team leader. 

He returned from Afghanistan and went back to school at The George Washington University in 2011. Like many veterans, Graham struggled with undiagnosed PTSD and physical challenges that come from heavy infantry combat. Graham eventually withdrew from George Washington University and moved back home to Maine where he used the resources from the Department of Veterans Affairs to get the help he needed.

After four tours overseas, Graham was deeply disillusioned with America’s failed foreign policy and endless wars and decided to focus on serving his local community in Maine.

In 2018, Graham started working on his friend’s small oyster farm in his hometown of Sullivan. He quickly felt deeply connected with the sea and the community. He eventually took over the oyster farm and built it into a business that produces high quality oysters. Graham also began a diving and mooring service to help out around the bay, and serves the town of Sullivan as Harbormaster and Planning Board Chair. 

He met Amy Gertner in 2023, fell in love, and got married soon after. They now reside in Sullivan—three doors down from where Graham grew up—with their two dogs Gryffin and Zevon and their cat Neptune.

Today I am so excited to be speaking to a woman who feels as passionately about the power of food as I do. Danielle Duboise is the co-founder of Sakara Life, a company providing the highest quality, whole food nutrition and supplements for body, skin and mind. We talk about building a body you can feel good in, and how as someone in the wellness space, she navigates its complexities. Full disclaimer, she and I both agree that the answers to a lot of health issues may be more simple than we are sometimes led to believe! 

But before I tell you a bit more about Danielle, but first I just want to say a quick merci to our sponsor today - Ergopouch. 

ErgoPouch makes premium swaddles, sleep sacks, sleep suits and pajamas of certified organic cotton and are skin friendly as reviewed by the Eczema Association of Australia. 

Our head of marketing, Taylor, recently had her second daughter and swears by ergopouch for all of her baby’s sleep wear. As we are talking so much about conscious parenting with Danielle today, it’s great to be working with a brand that cares so much about children’s exposure to harmful chemicals and makes sure all their products are natural, healthy and safe for sleeping.

Visit ergopouch, spelt out with .com, to learn more!

And as we are speaking all about food with Danielle today, I want to take this opportunity to talk a little about an issue that I feel personally very strongly about which is food waste. The United States discards more food than any other country in the world: nearly 120 billion pounds every year. That’s estimated to be almost 40 percent of the entire US food supply, and equates to 325 pounds of waste per person. That’s like every person in America throwing 975 apples right into the garbage — or rather right into landfills, as most discarded food ends up there. In fact, food is the single largest component taking up space inside US landfills, making up 22 percent of municipal solid waste. So we clearly need a solution, and I am thrilled to have one for you in the form of Mill, an at home food recycler that I am truly thrilled to be working with and that I am using at my own house now. 

Mill is your kitchen’s new best friend. A simple, odor-free food recycler that turns leftovers and scraps into nutrient-rich grounds with no effort. Mill prevents food waste without smells, flies, or chores. It works while you sleep and you can keep filling it for weeks.

You can use the grounds in your garden, add them to your curbside compost, or let Mill pick them up and deliver them to a small farm for you - which I completely love for my city friends. I can attest to using them in our organic vegetable garden here in Maine and being thrilled with the results. 

Give it a try for yourself -- it's risk-free and you can get $75 off at mill.com/rev.

So now just a little more about Danielle and the story of her starting Sakara.

Bootstrapped from just $700, Danielle and co-founder Whitney Tingle raised at a dinner party, Sakara Life is a whole-body wellness company on a mission to nourish your body's innate power. They put clients in the driver’s seat of their own health with their proprietary plant-based nutrition program, functional snacks and supplements.

With a Masters of Science in Functional Medicine and Human Nutrition from University of Western States, Danielle combines her expertise in science-backed nutrition with her passion for holistic wellness to inspire others to nourish their bodies and live their most vibrant lives. 

Today we speak about the importance of reframing our thoughts around food - how we can embrace food instead of fear it. We also speak about her personal experiences with eating, but also how she is navigating the world of pregnancy, post partum and motherhood with both consciousness and grace when it comes to her family’s health.

Cora Hilts heads to Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur, California. She talks with founder Mike Freed about his journey. And How he built one of the most stunning and most sustainable hotels in the world.

About Post Ranch Inn

Big Sur is one of the world’s most beautiful places. Among its treasures is Post Ranch Inn, known as one of the most iconic hotels globally. Even though sustainability guided its design, the hotel never sacrificed aesthetics or quality. Everything blends together in a harmonious manner. The owner, Mike Freed, says a love of the land and the people of Big Sur informed every decision he made in creating the hotel.

This hotel is beautiful inside and out. It started with the local community’s involvement. A native architect focused on natural building methods helped shape it. Now, the hotel uses various technologies to improve efficiency and keep spaces healthy. For the planet and their guests!

What Makes Post Ranch Inn So Sustainable

In 2009, they installed a 945-panel solar system. The EPA estimates this installation prevents about 600,000 pounds of carbon emissions annually. This represents just one way Post Ranch actively conserves energy and champions clean power.

The guest rooms and tree houses are to immerse people in nature rather than position them as mere observers. Architects employed bio-structure principles and chose natural materials like glass, wood, and stone. They also integrated passive solar heating throughout the buildings.

Post Ranch Inn protects this pristine landscape and its wildlife by designating 90 of its 100 acres as a conservation area. Zero-impact principles and land preservation drive every decision they make.

Sierra Mar, the Post Ranch Inn restaurant champions local farmers and strengthens the regional economy. The restaurant features all-natural, free-range beef and poultry while showcasing fresh, seasonal organic vegetables and fruit that grow on-site or come from nearby farms.

Thanks To Mill, For Sponsoring This Episode

Mill is your kitchen’s new best friend. A simple, odor-free food recycler that  turns leftovers and scraps into nutrient-rich grounds with no effort. Mill prevents food waste without smells, flies, or chores. It works while you sleep and you can keep filling it for weeks.

You can use the grounds in your garden, add them to your curbside compost, or let Mill pick them up and deliver them to a small farm for you.

Try it risk-free and get $75 off at mill.com/rev.

Learn More About Mill

Cora Hilts, our co-founder, is renovating her farmhouse in Maine. She wants it to be healthy and nontoxic. While searching for paint, she found that many brands are very harmful to people and the environment. She was excited to discover Alkemis, the world’s first wellness paint. Inspired, she invited the co-founders to her podcast. They shared all the insights she gained from working with them!

Maya Crowne and Price Latimer are my guests today, telling us about their creation of the world’s first architectural wellness paint - Alkemis. 

As one of the only Cradle to Cradle Certified® and Material Health Gold paints in North America, Alkemis eschews environmentally harmful synthetics and toxic pollutants typical of conventional paint brands. Alkemis is ethically produced to help customers breathe easier and live more harmoniously, while harnessing the healing power of natural pigments and crystals.

But our conversation today isn’t just about paint, it’s also the story of two women who saw a problem and used their respective skill sets to come up with a solution. Maya used to work in finance, and Price in the arts. Together they have started an incredible business that aims to make the painting industry a whole lot healthier, and a lot better for us and the environment. 

Merci to the sponsor of this episode – Ergopouch!

Learn more about Ergopouch and Alkemis Paint below:

Learn more about Ergopouch here

Shop Ergopouch

@alkemispaint on Instagram.

Shop Alkemis Paint

In this special podcast, Cora Hilts, our co-founder, recorded live with Jeff Tkach at Bloom Farm in Pennsylvania. Jeff talked about his job as CEO of Rodale Institute. He also talked about how regenerative agriculture and organic farming can boost human and planetary health.

Learn More about Rodale Institute – Global Leaders in Organic Agriculture Research

“6% of all food consumed in the United States is certified organic, yet we only produce 1% of that here. So we are actually a net importer of certified organic food. This shows that we have a big chance to onshore our food system by supporting local farmers.”

– Jeff Tkach, CEO of Rodale Institute

About Jeff Tkach

Jeff Tkach, CEO of Rodale Institute, aims to reconnect people with the earth. He leads the organization’s growth, impact, and planning. He aims to strengthen the Institute’s renowned work in research and education on regenerative organic agriculture.

Tkach leads a global team. They focus on innovations in regenerative organic agriculture. He manages strategic planning and oversees the Institute’s twelve campuses in the U.S. and Europe. He also directs research investments and supervises the education programs.

About the Rodale Institute

Rodale Institute is a nonprofit. It focuses on advancing regenerative organic agriculture. They do this through research, training farmers, and providing education. Their cutting-edge science and support programs empower farmers. This sparks change in farming and food production all over the world. In their 78 years, they have shown that organic farming is vital for humanity’s survival.

Rodale Institute tackles a big challenge: building a resilient global food system. This system aims to boost human health and protect the environment. Their top research and great education help farms and farmers use regenerative organic practices. This shift enhances soil health and secures the world’s food supply.

Why Regenerative Agriculture…

Farmers can earn 3-6 times more profits than farming conventionally.

Regenerative Agriculture uses 45% less energy than farming conventionally.

Regenerative Agriculture releases 40% less carbon emissions than farming conventionally.

Yields up to 40% more crops than conventional farming can in times of drought.

Improves soil health which in turn can improve human health through what we consume.

Learn more in their Farming Systems Trial – Rodale Institute

Useful links for this episode:

Rodaleinstitute.org

Donate – Rodale Institute

Newsletter – Rodale Institute

Our Podcast With Sam Nana-Sinkam of Bloom Farm

@visitbloomfarm

In this episode, Molly Sedlacek, founder of ORCA Living and Landscape, shares her tips. She talks about creating a beautiful and resilient outdoor space. We cover all the important factors for creating your outdoor sanctuary. This includes selecting sustainable outdoor furniture and using native landscape design principles.

About ORCA Landscape:

ORCA is a female-founded landscape design and outdoor product studio led by Molly Sedlacek. They are a small American business rooted in hard work and community. Every piece of sustainable outdoor furniture, masonry, steel, textile, and carpentry is made by skilled hands. ORCA proudly supports their art and their craft. Their native landscape design has made a name for itself by creating beautiful spaces that are in total harmony with nature.

ORCA Landscape uses plants and natural materials in their rawest forms to reconnect people with the earth. They use materials with a light footprint. Selecting only native plantings to ensure that their landscaping harmonizes with nature. And only sourcing their materials as close to the site as possible. They promote the use of wood that comes from nearby sources and is harvested in a sustainable way. The stone they use comes from this half of the hemisphere. The plants they select are as drought tolerant as the design allows. Plastics are also avoided in their work. This includes no synthetic turf or artificial decking. This choice helps create a healthier home space.

If you like this episode also check out…

@orcaliving on Instagram.

Orca Living Website.

How to create a pollinator garden

Podcast – Ecological Growing with Poppy Okotcha

We are excited to be back on air after taking a little break last year to actually spend some time travelling, meeting people in person, and getting inspired by amazing things happening out in the world. 

From our co-founder Cora Hilts: "I know that this feels like a difficult moment for our planet and society in many ways, but I have also been privileged to see just how many people are doing extraordinary things every day - it’s been an inspiring time for me despite the various issues we are facing as a collective humanity. The conversations I have had have nourished me deeply, and I hope they will impact you positively as well."

So with all that being said we wanted to launch this new season of REV On Air today with a man who quite literally gave up his highly successful career to create something new - to create a life and business filled with a purpose highly aligned with the natural world.

Sam Nana Sinkam had been working as an executive at Google, living a life most people would find incredibly aspirational, when the pandemic hit and forced him to start spending more time in his garden at home in Pennsylvania. Falling in love with gardening and all that it brought to his life in terms of well-being, he started to think of doing something a little bit different. When a farmhouse with 60 plus acres came up for sale an hour down the road, he took a leap of faith. He quit his job, invested in the property and began to dream up what would become today, Bloom Farm.

As Fast Company so accurately reported: Bloom Farm is a radical experiment. It’s testing a new business model for supporting regenerative agriculture and also creates a space for people to rejuvenate. And if it works, Sam would like to open farms like this all over the country through his new company called Third Place.
Sam's story is beautiful, and his bravery to take a leap and innovative thinking when it comes to respecting historical ways of doing things continues to inspire us today so we hope it will do the same for you as well.

Useful links for this episode.

bloomfarm.com

Book a Stay at Bloom Farm

Instagram, @visitbloomfarm

Downingtown Food Forest

The Overstory by Richard Powers

History of Chestnut Blight

In this episode we have a conversation with Nelson ZêPequéno who shares his passion for creativity, community and climate which he channels through his online platform, Black Men With Gardens. Nelson uses his power of communicating and bringing people together to change perspectives and encourage them to live a life more connected to nature and surrounded by greenery. Nelson hosts floral workshops through his creative studio, Sustain and uses his past experience in production to offer creative services designing and installing immersive activations for events using natural materials.

About Black Men With Gardens:

Black Men With Gardens is a digital platform founded by Nelson ZêPequéno in 2017 which highlights the powerful stories of Black men connecting to nature through agriculture and art resulting in a community of over 150,000+ supporters.

With a background in entertainment & event tech, Nelson ZêPequéno has always viewed creative production as an avenue for exploration. Honing his creative practice as a production designer, he now works with companies and nonprofits to design, build and install art, activations and events.

Nelson’s current creative practice weaves together art, culture & community as he facilitates workshops, provides a unique perspective on sustainability through public speaking engagements and project management as a creative producer.

Merci To Our Sponsor For This Episode!

Wilder Botanics

Wilder Botanics is inspired by co-founder Rachel Landon’s 20 years of clinical practice as a naturopath and herbalist and her husband Charlie’s deep-rooted curiosity and love of naturally derived formulations. Wilder is unique in intention, using centuries old naturopathic techniques of infusing, macerating, drying, and tincturing, keeping the methods and stories alive for generations. Their products are created from 100% natural, organic and careful wild crafted herbal ingredients. Shop Wilder on Rêve En Vert!

It is currently the middle of July, or as we at REV like to celebrate, Plastic Free July, where we look for solutions and alternatives to this highly polluting material. I could not think of a better or more inspiring guest to bring on to speak to us about how we rid ourselves of fossil fuel derived plastics and into a much more beautiful, cleaner world, than Julia Marsh, co-founder of Sway, which harnesses the power of seaweed to create home compostable replacements for plastic. 

We cannot wait to get into this conversation that spans plastic free innovation, community and creativity with Julia who is truly one of the most articulate speakers on the subject we’ve ever been privileged to chat to, but first I want to say a quick merci to today’s sponsor - Seed. 

Since our collaboration with Zach Bush and Farmer’s Footprint, I have been focusing a lot on the connection of a healthy microbiome as it relates to the food we eat and time spent connecting to the earth, but for extra support in my routine I turn to Seed.

Seed’s DS-01® Daily Synbiotic is a broad-spectrum probiotic and prebiotic for whole-body benefits including gut, skin, and heart health. As I am really focused on my gut health through eating as close to the source and soil as possible, Seed’s additional benefits for digestive and whole body health really complete my routine for a thriving body from the inside out. - Cora Hilts

Learn more about seed’s probiotics and get 25% off your first order with the code REVE25 below:

https://seed.com/daily-synbiotic?utm_source=reveenvert&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=25p&promo_code=REVE25&utm_source=Discount+Email+Feb+2020&utm_campaign=c20baa78e0-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_02_26_01_45_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9758eff4c2-c20baa78e0-107229021&mc_cid=c20baa78e0&mc_eid=198ddb6d27

So now a bit more about our guest today, Julia Marsh of Sway. 

Seaweed is the foundation of all Sway products, which mimic the compelling qualities of plastic without the downsides. Utilizing the natural polymers abundant in seaweed, they are able to optimize and scale the solutions nature has already given us. While traditional plastics contribute to climate change at every step of their toxic existence, Sway materials are made with process in mind.

Sway sources responsibly cultivated, ocean-farmed seaweed grown in harmony with the ocean. They use a diverse set of red and brown seaweeds from around the world as the base of their packaging technology. Sway works exclusively with suppliers who provide dignified employment to farmers, meaning fair wages and good treatment. They are hard at work to support and help scale up suppliers for whom impact is the number one priority, such as supporting the transition to climate-resilient coastal economies with indigenous communities around the world and lobster fishermen here in Maine.

We actually learned of Sway through their work with Atlantic Sea Farms, an incredible female owned cooperative that is helping to mainstream kelp farming as a sustainable solution to food, packaging and beauty issues whilst preserving our oceans and drawing carbon down. More on them to come but for now, I can’t wait to get into this deep dive with Julia in honour of Plastic Free July and we hope you are all as inspired as I am to know that we do have solutions in the world, solutions that can even be regenerative in their nature, if we just believe in our own creativity and have faith in our ideas.

Our co-founder Cora Hilts speaks in person with Lauren Singer, Managing Partner at Overview Capital where she invests in the mitigation of methane and other super pollutants at the pre-seed and seed stages. Lauren shares her purpose of getting to the core of the climate crisis by responding to the biggest issues that often go unnoticed. Lauren is a powerhouse of knowledge when it comes to the climate crisis and aims to uplift others who are also on the forefront of creating genuine change that lasts.

Most recently, Lauren has co-founded and become Managing Partner of Overview, where they invest in businesses mitigating methane and other super pollutants at the earliest stages. Overview is driven by the “overview effect,” coined by author Frank White, which is a profound experience that astronauts have when they see the Earth from space, feeling a sense of awe and interconnectedness with our planet. It inspires a deeper appreciation for the Earth and a desire to protect it. To put it simply, it’s the realization that this is all we’ve got. Overview invest in companies that are creating solutions to address climate change. Their mission is to support and partner with entrepreneurs at the earliest stages who can unlock innovations that have the potential to transform industries, making our future more resilient and equitable for generations to come.

Merci To Our Sponsor For This Episode!

Brightmark

Brightmark is a business that is using cutting-edge technology to create solutions for waste through circular innovations, so they could not be more in synergy with a woman who started her career in pursuit of bringing a zero waste lifestyle to consumers.

Brightmark is now providing further technological solutions to some of the world’s most pressing waste challenges, including turning organic waste into clean, renewable energy and closing the loop on plastic waste.They also are tackling the food waste issue, which Lauren and I will discuss a bit more in detail today.

A staggering 54 million tons of food is wasted annually in the U.S.* Food waste globally accounts for approximately 8% of greenhouse gas emissions. However Brightmark are working to divert this waste, break it down sustainably to capture methane and other biogases, then re-distribute it into compost.

Brightmark’s Circularity Centers™ deploy circular solutions for some of the world’s most pressing waste challenges—unlocking the value in waste by transforming them into new products.

Reimagining Waste is more than a mission; it’s a way of life at Brightmark. We encourage you to learn more and explore their resources for participating in a more sustainable and less wasteful lifestyle at brightmark.com!