In this episode i speak with Aly Stoffo, also known as the Glam Gardener. Aly is so many things, a student and teacher of the environment, with a Master's degree in Sustainability Solutions, and a BA in Sustainability, Energy, Materials, and Technology with a minor in Business, urban forager, gardener, activist, defender of Wetlands. This episode is packed with a ton of great material. Aly has a unique lens on foraging and issues of environmental justice. As she explains in the podcast, while it could be easy to live anywhere she has firmly dedicated her self to the place where she was raised- Staten Island, and all of the environmental issues it faces. This kind of fierce dedication to place, as well as Aly's work to renegotiate the ways in which Staten Island is thought of, perceived, and related to are deep values of this show and Aly is doing such a good job of championing this work in the world. Not only a forager,  gardens, and teacher, Aly also sells her art, medicine she makes from foraged plants, and is also in collaboration on the creation of a documentary film to protect the Graniteville wetlands, where a BJ's store is slated to be erected. Aly and I further get into the innate joy of foraging, lack of access to good health care and food, urban grit, transforming public space, seeing cities as a source of life, and so much more!
As always I truly hope you enjoy this episode. 
You can find Aly on her website: https://www.glamgardenernyc.com/
and instagram, tic tock, and twitter  @glamgardenernyc, tick toc 

Ava Chin and how Aly got started 7:05  
And academic girl in the real world 10:45
From Gardening to Foraging 14:40
Snooki of the Plant world 18:20
Innate Joy of Foraging 28:00
Lack of access to good food and health care/ Foraging and Sovereignty 33:35
Homage to indigenous knowledge systems and the Lenape 35:00
Perception of a Place 43:00
why Staten Island 50:11
Urban Grit, plants and people, and flipping the script 58:11 
Transforming Public places 1:26