In this episode, we’re joined by Kristen Giacomini, a Reno native, mom of two, and the visionary behind Flow Designs. As an interior designer, Kristen crafts stunning spaces that inspire joy and fulfillment—but her passion for sustainability and community doesn’t stop there.Kristen shares the story behind hosting a second Toy & Clothing Swap at her business location, combining her love for design, eco-conscious living, and bringing people together. We’ll explore how this event reflects her commitment to fostering greener lifestyles while building stronger connections.Tune in as Kristen discusses:• The values she’s passing on to her daughters through reusing and repurposing• What inspired her to host a Toy & Clothing Swap and its impact on the community• Her approach to integrating sustainability into her professional and personal lifeJoin us for an inspiring conversation about creativity, connection, and making sustainability accessible—one swap and one beautifully designed space at a time!

In this episode, we're thrilled to explore the world of sustainability in Northern Nevada with Donna, the visionary Founder and President of greenUp and the Nevada Green Business Network. Not only is she leading the charge in providing environmental education to businesses, but Donna is also at the forefront of an exciting initiative—the Green to Go Reusable Container Program. This program is set to revolutionize takeout practices, offering businesses and consumers an eco-friendly alternative to single-use containers. Join us as we delve into Donna's journey, innovative initiatives, and the positive impact she's making on the environment and our local community.

Keisha & Casey Ernst have been focusing on soil regeneration and habitat restoration as a team since 2011. They have studied under Dr. Elaine Ingham over the past eight years and worked alongside her on many projects. In 2018 Catalyst BioAmendments was founded as an experimental and educational-focused compost lot. The aim was to apply the techniques taught by Dr. Elaine Ingham to compost on a large scale and to improve the processes to ensure the product reliably hosts diverse populations of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes.   Catalyst successfully created a biological-healthy focused product, and since 2019 Keisha & Casey have been using the compost with their consulting. You can see examples of that success. They aim to raise the quality of food grown by helping farmers increase microbial biomass in their agricultural soils and to help microbe farmers worldwide to improve their composting practices.  Their main overarching focus is on fostering a community around microbe farming. They are passionate about helping the unseen lives in the soil come into view through microscopic images. https://www.catalystbioamendments.com/

Zoe Bray is a professional artist based in Reno, Nevada, who started offering eco-art classes to children to help them enjoy simple, timeless beauty and connection with nature. As a professional artist, her practice focuses on painting and drawing from life, using traditional fine art techniques, and experimenting with unconventional approaches.  Zoe explores the boundaries between art and ethnography, engaging in questions of identity, representation, and human relations with nature.  Zoe trained as a painter in various parts of Europe. She has a Ph.D. in Political Science (Florence, Italy) and an MA in Anthropology (Edinburgh, Scotland).  International shows include painting performances at NYC's American Natural History Museum, the Chicago Art Incubator, the Blanton Museum of Art in Austin, Texas, and Beita, the Social Based Art Center in Jerusalem, Israel/Palestine. She recently exhibited in the Basque Country in France and Spain, and in Carson City, Nevada. https://zoebrayartist.com/ Zoe's my new children’s book!

Colin Watley started Scrub Jay Farm in the Spring of 2021 as a result of a career change and a desire to experiment with gardening methods and goals that differ from standard production farms. The emphasis at Scrub Jay Farm is on edible flowers, herbs, food preservation, testing new plant varieties, and seed saving. The farm consists of hugelkultur beds built throughout a 1/6 acre residential lot with permaculture principles as a central focus. In 2022, the second year, the focus has been on planting shrubby intermediate and taller fruit tree layers and continued soil development. The work has also shown Colin the secondary benefits of working with plants can be much greater than the value of the flowers or vegetables grown. This has developed into a talk and hands-on workshops that he has presented for several grade schools, an assisted living facility, NAMI, and the Empowerment Center. Colin also realized that many of the emotional benefits available being around outdoor plants are equally available through indoor plants as well.  Since then, he has started offering indoor green-scape installations and services to local Reno businesses. The goals now for Colin and Scrub Jay Farm are to continue to hold talks and workshops and offer more indoor plant-scaping for local businesses.   Indoor plant work, Golden Trowel  Urban test farm, also on Instagram, Scrub Jay Farms Nonprofit website, Non-Traditional ART   Local ag events,  https://www.growingnv.com   Contact Colin for specialized edible landscaping and exotic indoor plant installations. Free consultation at Colin.Watley@gmail.com  

Quinn is a local botanist, ecologist, gardener, and Nevada native. He has spent most of his career studying the native plants of Nevada and fire ecology in the Great Basin.  He’s researched how to effectively restore burned plant communities in our Nevada deserts. More recently, he began working as a garden manager for Farmily, one of our local non-profits partnered with the Boys and Girls Club to teach social-emotional learning through the garden and providing healthy food to the kids and their families. As we learned about in our last episode, Farmily's newest project, Katie's Garden, is a collaboration with the Katie Grace Foundation, Boys and Girls Club, and Bridge Church, and will house a food forest, production garden, and native plant pollinator garden. Quinn on his own also has begun hosting native plant walks to teach our community about the fascinating and diverse flora of our deserts. Since recording this podcast we learned that Quinn was awarded a fellowship from the National Science Foundation and will be moving to Oahu, Hawaii to start his work towards his PhD.  We are super excited and proud of Quinn and wish him all the best in professional eco journeys to make this world a greener place! Instagram:  q_campbell Email:  quinncampbell@gmail.com

Today on our podcast I’m speaking with Rebekah Stetson who has worked in the Northern Nevada green community as a connector, leader, passionate activist and as an organic farmer.  I had the pleasure of interviewing Rebekah two years ago in April of 2020 for the podcast, Locals Share Green Action episode number 7.  We’ll be dipping back into some of the topics that she shared then and bring in some of the new things she’s up to now. For those who don’t know Rebekah, she’s a Northern Nevada Native whose life is led by synchronicity. She is also an organizer, a mother and a philanthropist. She is passionate about the delicate networks that are intertwined leading to the well-being of all ecosystems. She has been active in advocacy at a local, regional, and national level in a variety of areas including and not limited to organic agriculture, public health, environmental protection, and wildlife habitat.  Some of the many hats she’s wearing now: include being the farm manager at Flint Street Farm, the Chairwoman at Coalition for Healthy Nevada Lands, Wildlife and Free-Roaming Horses, is the CEO of Farmily, and is a sustainability consultant at the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District.  http://www.ourfarmily.org/ https://www.facebook.com/Flint-Street-Farm-100394011745374 https://www.facebook.com/healthynevadalands https://www.facebook.com/rebekah.stetson.may  

The Valley Wood Park Waterwise Bird Garden project, in its various phases, was created as a demonstration garden to show visitors alternatives to water hungry lawns.  This park project is meant to inspire and educate our community about trees, shrubs, and flowers that can be grown in our high desert environment using half the water that lawns require.  With our area experiencing less rainfall and higher temperatures we can benefit from learning how to create beautiful urban landscapes in a more sustainable way.   Tom Stille designed and continues to expand this inspiring and delightful collection of waterwise gardens. Learn more about Tom, and the garden and then come and visit or join in volunteering.  Check the links for more information.   Valley Wood Park 100% Plan | River School Farm   To learn more about upcoming volunteer opportunities:   (20+) Northern Nevada Permaculture | Facebook   To reach Tom Stille or find out more about River School Farm and their services or location:    Info @riverschoolfarm.org  Tom @riverschoolfarm.org   Riverside Farmers Market  https://www.renofarmersmarket.com/  

Truckee Meadows Parks Foundation – Caring for Parks, Open Spaces & Trails In this episode we speak with three representatives from Truckee Meadows Parks Foundation: Matt DeBray, Julie Johnson, and Caroline Stillitano about all of the great things their organization does for people in the greater Washoe County area to increase our enjoyment and knowledge of our beautiful parks.  Truckee Meadows Parks Foundation is a private nonprofit that was incorporated in 2012 and received its 501(c)(3) determination in 2013. The Parks Foundation protects and enhances our communities' livability through public engagement, education, and the sustainability of our parks, open spaces, and trails. Not only is TM Parks Foundation a great resource, but Matt, Julie, and Caroline are gracious advocates that share their knowledge and enthusiasm to remind us all to enjoy time outdoors with our friends and family in our local parks, and nature trails.  They also share new projects underway and places where we can learn more about what we can grow in our own yards to help support our local flora and fauna such as pollinators and native plants. Matt DeBray: Matt is the Communications Manager for Truckee Meadows Parks Foundation. After serving with TMPF as an AmeriCorps VISTA in 2017 he worked to promote AmeriCorps programs throughout Nevada for four years and is excited to be back at the place that started his journey in the nonprofit world. Matt studied Radio Television Production at the University of Montana and brings over a decade of experience to the TMPF communications team. When he isn't working you can find Matt watching baseball, hiking with his family, or being pulled behind a boat. Julie Johnson: Julie is a Nevada local and earned her B.A. in Journalism from the University of Nevada, Reno. She is passionate about community outreach, stewardship, marketing, and is thrilled to be a part of the TMPF team. As the Student Stewards Program Outreach Coordinator, Julie is looking forward to engaging with the Reno community about the incredible parks and open spaces in the area, as well as the many amazing programs TMPF has to offer! In her free time, Julie loves to be in the mountains. You can usually find her backpacking, skiing, and exploring hot springs. Caroline Stillitano: Caroline received her BA in Environmental Science from the University of Michigan in 2021. Working with the Truckee Meadows Parks Foundation as the Community Engagement Coordinator allows her to follow her passion for environmental justice through expanding access to the outdoors for low-income individuals. She enjoys spending time outdoors and is excited to apply her previous volunteer engagement experience to TMPF!   https://www.tmparksfoundation.org/ https://www.facebook.com/tmparksfoundation/ https://www.instagram.com/tmparksfoundation/?hl=en https://twitter.com/tmparksfound https://www.linkedin.com/company/truckee-meadows-parks-foundation/

Emanuela Heller-MacNeilage is a local farmer, a yoga and homesteading skills instructor, and the Vice President of the Northern Nevada Beekeeper’s Association.  She raises goats, bees, and chickens and offers instruction on how to care for beehives, and sustainable gardens, and how to make cheese, yogurt, mead, and soap.   At Tiny Living Farm, overlooking the Truckee river, she offers goat yoga classes, and instruction in the many skills that she teaches.  She also cares for beehives for other people in the Reno area.  If you would like to contact Emanuela for her services, classes, or products (before the TinyLivingFarm website is live), then please direct message her at her new Instagram page @TinyLivingFarm, or call 512-921-1567.   Instagram: @tinylivingfarm https://tinylivingfarm.com/

Help Save the Bees Foundation – is a 501c3 Nevada nonprofit whose mission is to inspire and educate the community about importance of bees, their challenges, and how to participate in supporting them and taking action for their health and survival.   Ray Hopper is the founder and Treasurer. He has been keeping bees off and on since 1982.  His passion has inspired him to dedicate his life to help the plight of bees.   Dan Rider is a Director, a beekeeper and an organic gardener.  His wife, Valarie Rider is the owner of Heirloom Gardens an organic Permaculture based landscaping company.  Both are very experienced in organic gardening and working to support nature and local ecology.   In this episode we learn more about the health of our bees, about “Help Save the Bees Foundation” and how we can all take action to support the health and recovery of bees and other types of native pollinators.   https://helpsavethebeesfoundation.org/   Additional Links recommended in this episode   https://biggestlittlebeecityusa.org/   Beekeeping Clubs:   https://www.northernnevadabeekeepersassociation.org/ (Reno) https://greatbasinbeekeepersofnevada.org/ (Carson City) https://masonvalleybeekeepers.org/index.html (Yerington)

Casey Shiver has been a member of the Buy Nothing Project’s Central Reno group for a couple of years now and started volunteering as an admin in February of 2021. She works full time for UNR, is currently pursuing her Master's degree in Higher Education Administration and spends much of her free time volunteering with local area nonprofits. Her favorite parts of the Buy Nothing Project are getting to know her neighbors and seeing the large number of items being reused rather than entering the landfills. Liz McFarland has been a member of the Buy Nothing Project’s Central group for a few years. She spent most of her time for the past 8 years as the Lead Volunteer for Project 150 Reno and helping 3,500 homeless, disadvantaged and displaced high school students with basic needs. She is also on the board for the giving group “Thank You Ma’am”, on the board for Women and Children’s Center of the Sierra and for Altrusa of Reno/Sparks. Her favorite part of the project is being able to gift items that others will love, consuming less new products, and keeping items out of the landfill. The easiest way to join is to go onto the Buy Nothing projects website at: https://buynothingproject.org/ or if you’re in the Reno/Sparks/Carson/ Tahoe area, you can find a link to the group for your area at https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?fbclid=IwAR1j7xrdHAFzrliiP3UqgqjyiaZOc0l4eBUhbq-mc_FEQc_cUV_PwSsBI4Y&mid=1P-wF7OPrJh2GLgiy-pXnmBKTsjs&ll=39.62177576560294%2C-119.58638278378768&z=10  

In this episode we dive into the topic of the local forest stewardship and some of the work that Norman Cone is doing as a research associate working with Great Basin Institute.  He shares many factors that weigh into decisions that are made on a daily basis, as many groups work to maintain, protect, and restore our forests. As residents living near amazing national parks, Norman shares things that we can do to be better environmental stewards.  We learn more so that we can have greater appreciation for our forests and for the current challenges of caring for our forests and the stewardship of the indigenous tribes who protected and cared for them for thousands of years in the pre-colonial times. https://www.thegreatbasininstitute.org/

Sharon Lugone is retired from teaching computer literacy to elementary and middle school levels and has gone on to instruct and do private consultations to teach sustainable wardrobe fashion strategies called Capsules101.  She is teaching courses locally in the Reno area.  After watching the documentary “The True Cost”, she was moved to take action to address better choices for all of us to meet the challenges of fashion industry and how to be more strategic and mindful in our clothing purchases. The documentary – “The True Cost” https://youtu.be/nxhCpLzreCw  c a p s u l e s   1 0 1 http://www.capsules101.com/ s h e r r y   l u g o n e c a p s u l e   w a r d r o b e   g u r u c a p s u l e s 1 0 1 . c o m

We meet the owners of Thali an organic vegetarian restaurant that share multiple ways that they are striving to operate sustainably.  Learn more about how this little family-owned restaurant works to support local farms, and avoid waste while delivery delicious meals for their community. https://www.thalireno.com/ https://www.facebook.com/Thalireno/    

Katie Colling who is the founder and manager of Katherina’s Garden a community garden that is seeking to help feed people in poverty with healthy, fresh foods grown right in the neighborhood.  Katie was the vice president for RISE for seven years and she is the founder and manager of Katharina's Garden and Compost Program since it's inception in 2017.  https://gofund.me/97c62413 https://www.facebook.com/groups/1716313595100783/user/100000482378184/ kmcolling@gmail.com www.katharinasgarden.org   

Life as we know it would be much different if it weren’t for the mysterious and miraculous mycelium. Such an impressive entity, so different than most life on earth. This fungus can destroy and give life simultaneously. Mycelium helps soil by breaking down organic matter, keeping moisture in the soil, and helping to prevent erosion.   ---------------------------------- About Rachel   Rachel Jessee, originally from Reno, NV has recently returned to the region after over a decade of exploring different cultures, climates and lifestyles. She currently practices regenerative agriculture and subsistence farming at Rosewater Ranch, a rural ranch just outside of Reno. Most recently she returned from two years in Morocco where she implemented and managed a 5 hectare permaculture garden within an operating 10 hectare organic olive grove and where she was also curating an on-site artist residency. There she gained priceless experience in growing food in an arid environment which has cultivated her newest passion in soil health. She is currently enrolled in Peter McCoy’s “Mycologos” course – the world’s first extensive course dedicated solely to mycology and is also a student of Harvard’s Extension School program pursuing a degree in environmental studies with a focus in agro-ecology.

Walker Sauls is the founder of the nonprofit GreenVibe World and the urban mushroom farm called Biggest Little Mushrooms.  Walker Sauls completed his Bachelors of Science degree in Environmental Science and founded a nonprofit, GreenVibe World and a sustainable urban farm called Biggest Little Mushrooms.  At Biggest Little Mushrooms they pride themselves in growing high-quality mushrooms with as little impact to the environment as possible.  Their small farm contributes healthy and delicious mushrooms to their local community through a co-op, a CSA, and soon at a stand at the local farmer’s market.  Learn more about GreenVibe’s work in the Reno/Sparks area and how they farm sustainably for a cleaner green community. 

Tessa Dee Miller is a treasure hunter and upcycling enthusiast.  She is the shop owner of the “The Nest” a vintage furniture, décor, and clothing shop that has been in Reno for almost 10 years.   THE NEST 201 Keystone Ave Reno, NV 89503 (775) 284-8841 thenestreno@gmail.com www.thenestreno.com FB/IG @thenestreno Monday - Saturday 11am - 6pm, Sunday 11am-5pm   TMCC Thrift Store Shopping Class Tuesday, February 23rd 3-6pm: https://truckee.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&int_class_id=28617&int_category_id=0&int_sub_category_id=0&int_catalog_id=0   Also available: Zero waste items Reupholstering services Vintage shopping services

Nathan Rosenbloom is with Loping Coyote, Rosewater Ranch, and Mountain Mushrooms.  He is an ecological garden designer, a farmer, and a nursery business owner. He shares the benefits of a forest garden designs and more about their local nursery yearly sale to provide the trees, shrubs, vines, and herbs to support these ecological designed gardens and farms. Learn more at: https://www.lopingcoyotefarms.com/   Site Consultations and Assessments, -On-site and remote project evaluations - from native landscaping to backyard farms to broad acre land management. -Landscape and Garden installations-Farm/Garden Educational Tours-Ecological Garden Education and Speaking Engagements