The Global Grit Experience

In this episode my guest and I talk about what happens when you merge art and nature in a small town. You create something really amazing, that's what.

Amy Stoller Stearns is the co-founder and Executive Director of Project 412, a creative local nonprofit that's creating (for one of their projects) Ortenstone Gardens and Sculpture Park on 54 acres of land in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.

"I think that’s what this is kind of all about…how do we create a good life here in Detroit Lakes and in Minnesota and honor the earth, celebrate the land, and get more people outdoors."

- Amy Stoller Stearns

Today we're talking about factory farms. What are they, what kind of havoc are they wreaking, and what can we do about it to help the environment, humane treatment of animals, rural communities, small-scale farmers, and our health. My guest today offers a first-hand experience living near and trying to stop factory farms, or officially called concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). Sonja Trom Eayrs is the author of Dodge County INC. Big Ag and the Undoing of Rural America. She’s a farmer’s daughter, rural advocate, and attorney. Sonja is involved in several rural advocacy organizations, including the Socially Responsible Agriculture Project, Farm Action, Land Stewardship Project, and Dodge County Concerned Citizens.

RESOURCES

• Order Sonja Trom Eayrs' Book- Dodge County INC. Big Ag and the Undoing of Rural America
• Socially Responsible Agriculture Project
• Farm Action
• Land Stewardship Project
• Dodge County Concerned Citizens
• Farm Direct Minnesota
• Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy
• Minnesota Farmers Union
• Izaak Walton League of America
• Iowa Environmental Council / Harkin Institute report: New Report Finds Ties Between the Most Common Cancers in Iowa and Environmental Risk Factors
• 2023 petition to EPA regarding nitrate in Minnesota. Minnesota IWLA signed on. 42423-emergency-sdwa-petition-to-epa-with-exhibits.pdf
• Iowa’s Rep. Austin Baeth, MD. He is also a Nitrate Watch participant and advised us on our recent briefing. Austin Baeth (@austinbaeth) • Instagram photos and videos
• Some thoughts on CAFOs from NRDC: CAFOs: What We Don’t Know Is Hurting Us
• SRAP data on Minnesota: Minnesota CAFO Database and Mapping Guide - Socially Responsible Agriculture Project
• Article: Health disparities associated with exposure to animal feeding operations, including concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, USA - PMC
• ETHICALLY RAISED MEAT CERTIFICATIONS. Not all package labels carry legal or strict definitions. Rely on independently audited standards rather than vague terms like "natural" or "farm-raised". Some options:
• Animal Welfare Approved (AWA): Focuses on true pasture-based management, continuous outdoor access, and strict annual on-site audits.
• Certified Humane: Guarantees specific space to roam, anti-abuse handling rules, and no antibiotics or hormones (though pasture-raising isn't universally mandated for every tier).
• Global Animal Partnership (GAP): Uses a tiered step-rating system to grade animal comfort, environment, and welfare guidelines.
• American Grassfed Association (AGA): Ensures 100% grass-fed diets, open family-farm pastures, and no confinement feedlots.
• USDA Organic: Verifies 100% organic feed, outdoor access, and the absence of added antibiotics or synthetic hormones (though it does not strictly guarantee 100% grass diets unless specified).

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This episode is all about BATS and just in time for Bat Appreciation Week!

My guest today, Melissa Donnelly, loves bats and has dedicated her life to understanding and protecting them. She said she has an especially soft spot for the really ugly ones. I love that. Melissa Donnelly is a Science Specialist at Merlin Tuttle’s Bat Conservation in Austin Texas whose mission is to inspire bat conservation worldwide. Melissa provides assistance on conservation projects and research and has been lucky enough to travel to various places around the world to help participate in bat surveys and conservation. She enjoys helping people help bats and bringing attention to the many individuals and groups doing fantastic work for bat conservation worldwide.

Resources

Merlin Tuttle’s Bat Conservation (MTCB)

Become a member https://www.merlintuttle.org/i-want-to-help/

Photo collection https://merlintuttle.smugmug.com/

Blog posts, events, and resources https://www.merlintuttle.org

Enjoy and explore Resources, Videos, and find them online at Facebook and Instagram.

Video by MTBC about the largest mammal migration- the straw-coloured fruit bat:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dD2DwmGFko0

More videos: https://www.youtube.com/@merlintuttlesbatconservation

Books by Merlin Tuttle:

America’s Neighborhood Bats

The Secret Lives of Bats

Melissa Donnelly

How Melissa got to where she is:

https://www.merlintuttle.org/livin-the-dream-introducing-melissa-donnelly/

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Thanks for listening and being a part of The Global Grit Experience. I SO appreciate you!

Erika talks with Dr. Mark Seeley about climate change happening in our own backyard and what we can do about it. Is there hope? Mark says yes. But, we each need to participate.

Dr. Mark Seeley retired in February of 2018 after nearly 40 years in his role as Extension Climatologist and Meteorologist at the University of Minnesota. Since then he’s continued to provide presentations to communities throughout Minnesota and beyond on climate change and its effects on our natural resources and societal infrastructure. He’s the author of Minnesota Weather Almanac and has done a weekly commentary on Minnesota Public Radio since 1992.

Upcoming Presentation: For those living in MN, Dr. Mark Seeley will be speaking on Wednesday, Oct 21 at M State- Fergus Falls Legacy Hall at 7:00 pm on the state of our state- the impacts of climate change in MN and what we can do about it.

Resources:

The Climate Action Handbook by Dr. Heidi A. Roop:

https://www.heidiroop.com/climate-action-handbook.html

Minnesota Weather Almanac by Dr. Mark Seeley

Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership program MCAP: https://climate.umn.edu/

Project DrawDown: https://drawdown.org/

Citizen’s Climate Lobby: https://citizensclimatelobby.org/

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What is sustainable tourism and how can we be better travelers? And, equally important, how can we protect our own natural, cultural and historical places where we live from overtourism? It's a balance but more and more destinations are making it happen. That's good news.

Jonathan B. Tourtellot, a National Geographic Explorer, is a journalist, editor, speaker, and consultant specializing in the intersection between tourism and care for places. While at National Geographic, he introduced the concept of destination stewardship and launched the “Places Rated” surveys reported annually as National Geographic Traveler cover stories. He now runs the nonprofit Destination Stewardship Center (DSC), including an online e-magazine, the Destination Stewardship Report. He was a contributing author in the book Overtourism: Lessons for a Better Future (Island Press, 2021) and is featured prominently in the just-published book Destination Stewardship by Tonya Fitzpatrick (KoganPage, 2026). In his new Substack, The Fragile Map, he reveals how the taxes travelers pay for lodging can promote overtourism. Look for his story entitled “The Mystery Tax.”

Resources:

www.DestinationCenter.org

Destination Stewardship Report

The Fragile Map

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Erika talks with guest, Bridget Guiza from the White Earth Tribal and Community College. Bridget talks about the challenges of our time being at the nexus of food, water, and energy sovereignty and being allies with Indigenous and rural communities.

Bridget is the Customized Education Coordinator at the White Earth Tribal and Community College. She has a background in Environmental Systems and Planning and has experience in philanthropy, environmental justice, energy development, food sovereignty, and workforce development. Her current work focuses on building career pathways with and for the people of White Earth and adjacent communities.

CLARIFICATION in EPISODE: MTERA stands for the Midwest Tribal Energy Resources Association.

Resources

White Earth Tribal and Community College

https://www.wetcc.edu/

Midwest Tribal Energy Resources Association - Empowering tribes to manage tribal energy resources through collective action.

https://www.mtera.org/

https://www.mtera.org/

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Thanks for listening and being a part of The Global Grit Experience. I SO appreciate you!

In this episode, Dr. Joel Powell shares his perspective on expanding acceptance of people as an absolute necessity to the preservation of the environment. And, that political organization and cooperation is the ticket out of the mess we're in.

Dr. Joel Powell whose been a professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice at Minnesota State University Moorhead for almost forty years.

Resources

Book by Douglas Rushkoff about consulting tech billionaires on surviving the apocalypse.

https://rushkoff.com/books/survival-of-the-richest.html

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Thanks for listening and being a part of The Global Grit Experience. I SO appreciate you!

In this episode, Dr. Judi Roux shares about the environmental impacts of fast fashion and clothing waste and how she's embraced creative upcycling to make a difference.

Judi Roux, Ed.D has been an educator for over 30 years. As the founder of tROUXly treasures, she's combining her experience and enthusiasm for environmental sustainability with her passion for yarn crafting. She does this by repurposing clothing memories and sharing those skills with other crafters. She teaches t-shirt yarn cutting and crocheting classes at various educational venues around Duluth and the north shore of Lake Superior.

RESOURCES

Swagcycle: https://www.swagcycle.net/thinking-about-the-life-of-a-t-shirt/

Clothing Mountain Visible from Space:

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/the-clothing-mountain-visible-from-space-how-60000-tonnes-of-discarded-clothes-ended-up-in-chiles-atacama-desert/articleshow/132689467.cms

Impacts from Modern Purchases

https://northshorejournal.co/editorial/impacts-of-modern-purchases/

Life Cycle of a T-Shirt

The life cycle of a t-shirt - Angel Chang

Statistics About Fast Fashion Waste

https://earth.org/statistics-about-fast-fashion-waste/

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Thanks for listening and being a part of The Global Grit Experience. I SO appreciate you!

Guest Cedar Walters talks about the harms of plastics in our bodies and the environment in this episode and shares tactics to reduce plastic use.

Cedar Walters is Senior Director of Community Programs at West Central Initiative (WCI), where she leads community initiatives and connects people and communities with resources that support sustainability and resilience. In 2025 and 2026 she organized and supported eight community screenings of the Plastic People documentary, which led to the formation of a Beyond Plastics local chapter in west central Minnesota. Prior to joining WCI, Cedar worked at a county recycling facility for six years and became obsessed with waste reduction – specifically for plastics and food waste.

Cedar holds an MS in Biology and Environmental Education from North Dakota State University and has experience in distributed solar development, composting and recycling program development, sustainable food systems, and native prairie restoration projects. In her free time she can be found in her pollinator garden, spending time with family, reading, camping, knitting, and organizing for more inclusive and equitable communities.

RESOURCES

Beyond Plastics: trainings, resources, studies, fact sheets, map of local groups, speaker bureau, and more! https://www.beyondplastics.org/

Reasons to Say No to Plastics: https://files.captivate.fm/library/d7963bca-c38f-4d72-ae91-8cdf07543597/Reasons-to-Say-No-to-Plastics-Beyond-Plastics.pdf

Sustainable Closet Basics: https://files.captivate.fm/library/c83f24bf-6b68-4ec2-8d0a-0f95f0cd47fc/Sustainable-Closet-Basics.pdf

Thrift Tips and Gifts: https://files.captivate.fm/library/891f05db-1ed3-4c39-91e4-8e59fa005d3a/Thrift-Tips-and-Gifts.pdf

Compostable Products Purchasing Guid: https://files.captivate.fm/library/c0e48e78-f7dc-4692-aecc-8dacec5406d6/Compostable-Products-Purchasing-Guide.pdf

Reducing health impacts from plastics - Blog: https://www.beyondplastics.org/ask-a-scientist/avoid-plastic-toxic-chemicals

For West Central MN Specifically:

Quarterly Advocacy Trainings coming up in November – free on Zoom, pick a date that works for you:

• Saturday, 11/7 at 1:00 PM ET US
• Tuesday, 11/10 at 7:00 PM ET US
• Thursday, 11/12 at 7:00 PM ET US

Screening of Plastic People -coming up on September 26th at 6:30 pm at the Becker Co Museum in Detroit Lakes, MN https://www.facebook.com/share/1LUpEdwQFH/

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Thanks for listening and being a part of The Global Grit Experience.

I SO appreciate you!

Erika

What does voting for the environment mean? How can we find our way through political hype? How do we listen to candidates more critically?

My guest today is Dave Homans. Dave is a retired physician who serves as Citizen Climate Lobby’s Co-Coordinator for the state of Minnesota. He is active in lobbying our elected representatives to promote policies that will mitigate climate warming.

Resources

• Open Secrets https://www.opensecrets.org/donor-lookup/results?name=elizabeth+manson&order=desc&sort=D
• Govtrack.com https://www.govtrack.us/
• Billtrack50 https://www.billtrack50.com/info/
• The Cook Political Report https://www.cookpolitical.com/
• League of Women voters https://www.lwvmn.org/2026-candidate-forums
• Environmental Voter Project https://www.environmentalvoter.org/
• Citizens Climate Lobby https://citizensclimatelobby.org/

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Thanks for listening and being a part of The Global Grit Experience. I SO appreciate you!