Northern Nevada Green Living Podcast

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!

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/

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

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

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/

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)

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/

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/

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.

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

Among other numerous community service roles, Earstin Whitten is the co-founder and president of Soulful Seeds, a non-profit whose mission is to provide greater food security through community gardens and gardening education. He is also affectionately known as the local “Guru of Garlic” as he teaches community members how to grow garlic successfully. Soulful Seeds, Reno, NV https://www.soulful-seeds.com/ Soulful Seeds Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/soulfulseedsnnv/

Happy holidays everyone! We hope you all are staying safe and healthy and having a chance to enjoy some festive cheer whether you are staying close to home, are hiking the hills, or are visiting with a few close friends and family. If you are in a position to buy gifts this year, please consider shopping at our local small businesses. Especially the ones that are striving to be sustainable and make our little part of this planet a kinder and safer place for us all. We would love to have time to share all of our local green businesses in this episode, but instead we have put together a special webpage that includes lots of local businesses that have great green gifts to consider. Please visit https://www.gogreenlocally.org/local-green-gifts. If you know of some other businesses that you think should be added then please contact us at info@gogreenlocally.org and we’ll consider adding them. Even after the holidays we would like to leave this page up for birthdays and other special occasions that you might need to buy for. Well 2020 has been a challenging in so many ways. Part of that challenge has been trying to avoid extra waste that we don’t want to be creating. To learn more about some of the changes in the Reno/ Sparks recycling program, we are talking with Kim Rios with KTMB. https://www.ktmb.org/recycle An interview with Andrew Frank with Space Cadet a nonprofit in Reno that is recycling retail display fixtures new local businesses https://www.cadetspace.org/ We talk with Jamah Dacus with BlendBee a specialty loose leaf and custom tea company located in Sparks. https://blendbee.com/