Podcasts about West Marin

The Bay Area Retreat Committee is excited to invite you to our annual Out of the Fog retreat at Walker Creek Ranch in Marin County on the weekend of March 14-16, 2025. Enrich your recovery with meetings, workshops, meditation, and fellowship. We will also enjoy all manner of outer circle activities including drum circles, campfires, game night, talent/no talent show, and hiking among the rolling hills of West Marin.  This includes a re-post of the intro and outro of Ep 030 which has been pulled from public listening. Links mentioned in this episode: https://bayareasaa.org/announcements/bay-area-out-of-the-fog-retreat-registration-is-open/ Registration: http://bit.ly/retreat2025link Workshop Submittal: http://bit.ly/2025workshopform   YouTube Links to music in this episode (used for educational purposes): Heilung Resonator Talks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vvWTzpDHEI Heilung - Fylgija Ear / Futhorck Live (from LIFA): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJvcN41H3Is Heilung - Alfadhirhaiti Live (from LIFA): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wy-W-pYlds Heiling - LIFA (full show): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1BsKIP4uYM   Be sure to reach us via email: feedback@sexaddictsrecoverypod.com If you are comfortable and interested in being a guest or panelist, please feel free to contact me. jason@sexaddictsrecoverypod.com SARPodcast YouTube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn0dcZg-Ou7giI4YkXGXsBWDHJgtymw9q   To find meetings in the San Francisco Bay Area, be sure to visit: https://www.bayareasaa.org/meetings To find meetings in the your local area or online, be sure to visit the main SAA website: https://saa-recovery.org/meetings/ The content of this podcast has not been approved by and may not reflect the opinions or policies of the ISO of SAA, Inc.

“Our mission is to raise healthy animals, to get a healthy product by having healthy soil.” —Mandy Schmidt    Healthy soil leads to healthy animals, which in turn lead to nutrient-dense, sustainable food. This cyclical relationship holds the key to a more resilient food system.  Mandy Schmidt is a 5th generation rancher at Marin Coast Ranch, where she and her family have been raising grass-fed livestock for over 30 years. Committed to regenerative agriculture, Mandy prioritizes land stewardship and species-appropriate diets to produce the highest quality meat. In this episode, Mandy shares the secrets to her family's sustainable ranching practices, from the importance of soil health to the benefits of grass-fed beef and lamb. Tune in as Justine and Mandy talk about the definition of grass-fed vs. grass-finished livestock, the role of soil health in animal and human nutrition, generational knowledge and continuous learning in family farming, transparency and consumer education in sustainable agriculture, and more.  Meet Mandy:  Mandy Schmidt is a 5th generation rancher at Marin Coast Ranch in West Marin, California. Mandy and her family have been raising grass-fed beef cattle, sheep, and goats on their family ranch for over 30 years. Committed to sustainable and regenerative agriculture practices, Mandy prioritizes soil health and species-appropriate diets for her livestock. As a mother of two, Mandy is passionate about providing nutrient-dense, transparent food options for her community. Mandy leads ranch tours and educational events to connect consumers with the origins of their food. Through her work, Mandy aims to inspire others to make more informed choices about the food they consume and its impact on personal and planetary health.   Website Instagram TikTok Facebook Connect with NextGen Purpose: Website Facebook Instagram  LinkedIn YouTube Episode Highlights: 01:27 Traditional Livestock Care Methods  03:29 Grass0Fed vs Grass-Finished 07:08 Evolving Conversations About Food 10:34 The Role of Soil Health and Food Quality  14:58 Buying Power and Direct Relationships 18:35 Questions for Informed Choices 22:45 Generational Challenges and Continous Learning  27:10 Transparency and Consumer Education  

Part of the Building Community Resilience Series at The New School "Resilience" is an essential part of individual and societal response and preparation these days, yet it's become a bit of a "buzz word." What does it mean from the perspective of someone who's been helping prepare groups for "resilience" since before the word was trendy? How do we mentor others in this idea and how do we sustain a sense of hope? Join us for a unique conversation on resilience, with Michael Fischer, a volunteer for multiple organizations, amateur radio guru K6MLF, formerly an environmental executive and consultant, philanthropic director, and city planner. Michael talks with long time TNS Audio and Video Producer, and first time TNS Host, Ken Adams from atop Mount Barnabe in West Marin at the historic Dickson Fire Lookout. Michael Fischer: Michael Fischer has volunteered for decades in the service of local organizations and groups that either support  or foster community resilience or community histories and traditions, like the Marin Amateur Radio Society, Marin County Sheriff's RACES, Mill Valley CERT, Marin County Fire Department Fire Lookout, and many others. Professionally, Michael has served as an Environmental Consultant, Sr. Fellow and Program Officer/Director at The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Executive Officer at the California Coastal Conservancy, Senior Consultant at the Natural Resources Defense Council, Executive Director of the Sierra Club, Executive Director of the California Coastal Commission, and many years years as an environmental policy consultant and urban planner. Michael likes to be known these days as "Student, saunterer, lover of poetry and music at: Retired For Good" Ken Adams: Ken Adams is a long time TNS audio and video producer who has recorded, edited, mixed, live streamed and podcasted our conversations since 2007. Ken is a long time audio/recording engineer, singer, voice and theatrical actor, songwriter and wrote music for commercials. Ken is a licensed amateur radio operator as well, radio lead for the SGVERG (San Geronimo Valley Emergency Readiness Group), and a MCFD Fire Lookout volunteer as well. Ken lives in West Marin with his wife and two kids and loves cooking and mountain biking through the hills of the San Geronimo Valley. Find out more about The New School at Commonweal on our website: tns.commonweal.org. And like/follow our Soundcloud channel for more great podcasts.

Trees offer tremendous wisdom.  In coaching, I often talk about setting an intention to be like a tree for upcoming difficult meetings or conversations. Being like a tree is a surprisingly effective leadership and life strategy.  At the Connect in Nature Mindful Healers Retreat a few weeks ago, one of my intentions was to encourage others to be more tree. Specifically to : Draw strength from others. Ask for help when you need it. Be authentic. Attend to your core. Don't be afraid to branch out. Get plenty of rest. Stand tall. Be open to change.   These lessons come from an inspirational book called How To Be More Tree by Liz Marvin.  Enjoy today's mindful moment to hear many more lessons from this book. At the Connect in Nature Mindful Healers Retreat we share many lessons from the trees we stand amidst. Trees have roots and they use “their resources” creatively. Their roots are embedded in soil which provides nutrients and microorganisms.  Why not “fertilize your own soil” with the essential nutrients for a healthy, happy, and aligned life? Redwood trees drink fog and live and grow in community.  Their roots are one foot deep and football fields wide creating an extensive network of support. We are stronger together.   Trees grow towards the sun and stand tall and proud. They don't hide. The branches and leaves grow in the direction of sunlight reminding us to point in the direction of getting what we need and setting ourselves up for success.   Many trees live through extreme temperatures, lack of water, too much water, and fires.  They have scars and other marks but the trees remain as they are through it all leaning into their support systems and utilizing the resources they do have. Trees are calm and grounded. They are graceful and elegant despite irregularities, lumps, and bumps.  Trees sway in storms and rarely fall except in extreme storms. Their wood is strong and flexible. There are all different kinds of trees but the inner anatomy of every tree is largely the same- roots, trunk, branches, leaves. Trees just like humans have more in common than different.  How might you “be more tree”? Join us for the next Mindful Healers Connect in Nature Retreat in SPRING 2025. We will enjoy a different season, and different, but still amazing, natural wonders from a different home base - Nicasio Creek Farm.  We will enjoy creeks, mountain tops, wildflowers, esteros, bays, and the wildlife of West Marin and Point Reyes National Seashore.  We will explore food as nature and hands on experiences of mindful harvesting, preparing, and eating food. Sign up for Jessie's email list to be notified when registration is open.  Today's Mindful Moment is entitled Invitations from Trees. It includes some of my favorite excerpts from How to Be More Tree- Essential Life Lessons for Perennial Happiness, by Liz Marvin  “This beautifully illustrated book celebrates the wisdom of trees and what they can teach us about everyday life, from basking in the sun to weathering the storm. As you learn about dozens of trees, from the Acai palm to the Yoshino cherry, you'll find that their means of survival are not so different from ours.  The juniper tree proves that it's possible to flourish anywhere as long as we put down strong roots.  A mountain hemlock finds strength basking in the sun while a black walnut's sturdiness comes from its thick, steely core.  The hawthorn demonstrates resilience as it adapts to strong winds and storms by finding balance in its roots. Trees have many more lessons to offer, from letting go of the past, to branching out, to resisting the urge to overstretch ourselves.  Trees have wisdom to offer parents, children, colleagues, leaders, physicians, spouses, and every person as an individual. How to Be More Tree is an essential companion for all those moments when we're having trouble seeing the forest for the trees.” -  How to Be More Tree - Essential Life Lessons for Perennial Happiness, Liz Marvin Move beyond consuming this amazing podcast. True change happens when you work with us. Coach with Jessie - 1:1, in topic-focused small groups, or at a retreat. www.jessiemahoneymd.com Work with both of us in person at The Mindful Healers Annual Retreat www.jessiemahoneymd.com/retreats Hire one or both of us to speak or lead a workshop on any topic covered in the Mindful Healers Podcast. We also create team retreats, teach yoga, and offer experiential mindfulness for teams, groups, grand rounds, institutions, and conferences. www.jessiemahoneymd.com/mindful-healers-podcast www.awakenbreath.org  www.jessiemahoneymd.com/speaking *Nothing shared in the Mindful Healers Podcast is medical advice. #physicianwellness #mindfulnesscoach #pauseandpresence #physiciancoach  

In today's episode of Crosscurrents, we hear how some residents in West Marin are fighting to keep the lights off. But in order to succeed they will need more than just the North Star to navigate through all the municipal red tape. It's part two of a special story from our friends at the Nocturne podcast.

Dreams are available to all of us but they don't just happen by wishing, hoping, or luck.  In this episode, Jessie shares how she manifested her dream of owning her own retreat space. She was inspired by others fulfilling their dreams. They helped her know that fulfilling one's dreams is possible. In sharing her journey she hopes to be the person who inspires you to pursue your dreams. How do you manifest a dream? What are important and replicable steps to manifesting a dream? Believe in yourself and the possibility of the dream Set an intention to pursue the dream Be persistent and patient Believe it's possible Be courageous Trust yourself and the process Become the person who has already fulfilled the dream Accept, allow, and embrace complexity, detours, delays, and fear Get creative Expect overwhelm and self doubt Continue to believe in yourself  Appreciate how far you have come as a person and  the ways that you have set yourself up for success Remember your  problem-solving skills Embrace bumps and self-doubt Get help. Trust your helpers. Practice gratitude for the opportunity, luck, and the support of others What's your dream?  What do you want to do with your one wild and precious life? What will the world miss out on if you don't?   Thank you for listening to the Mindful Healers Podcast.  Getting to Episode 200 is the manifestation of another dream.  We couldn't have done it without the support of each and every one of you!   To celebrate and change your life for the better, please come join us at Nicasio Creek Farm. The farm, creek, sunshine, birds, bees, natural light, Mark's mindful cooking, the cozy fire, and the beauty and magic of West Marin are waiting for you. A better, more easeful, and fulfilled life of your dreams is available to you too. www.jessiemahoneymd.com/retreat-nicasio-creek-farm If you can't join us in person, coach with Jessie 1:1, in topic-focused small groups, or at a retreat. www.jessiemahoneymd.com *Nothing shared in the Mindful Healers Podcast is medical advice. #physicianwellness #mindfulnesscoach #pauseandpresence #physiciancoach    

Numerous corporations are currently in control of the world's food production and distribution. Unfortunately, a lot of them are more concerned with raking in huge profits than making a real impact, leaving many people sick, hungry, and underserved. Award-winning chef, author, and entrepreneur Miyoko Schinner is actively working on making a huge difference in this space through her company, Miyoko's Creamery. She joins Corinna Bellizzi to share how she courageously and loudly talks about the harsh truth on big shots bringing more harm than good to the food system and animal agriculture. Miyoko also explores her own efforts in achieving food sovereignty and prioritizing impact more than mere numbers. Tune in as she describes how she is making vegan cheese accessible to every household and her plans to create the world's first vegan village in Italy. About Guest:Miyoko Schinner is an award-winning chef, author, entrepreneur and speaker. She founded Miyoko's Creamery (which she started at the “young” age of 57), and is often credited for bringing vegan cheese to mainstream audiences. She also founded Rancho Compasión, a farmed animal sanctuary and education center for school-age youth. Miyoko is the author of six cookbooks, including the bestselling The Homemade Vegan Pantry, and the book credited for launching the vegan cheese revolution, Artisan Vegan Cheese. She is currently under contract with Ten Speed Press/Penguin Random House on a 7 th book, The Vegan Creamery. She co-hosted a vegan cooking show on PBS called Vegan Mashup that aired for three seasons. She currently hosts a new YouTube cooking channel called The Vegan Good Life with Miyoko, and was featured in a 4-part Netflix series, You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment. Calling herself an epicurean activist, she has worked tirelessly for over thirty years to reimagine a food system built on sustainability, equity, and compassion for animals. Her popular cookbooks, products, and thought leadership have inspired people across the globe to reconsider their food choices and take personal joy and responsibility in helping to participate in a better food system. Miyoko has spoken all over the world in far-flung places as Saudi Arabia, Italy, and Korea, as well as home in the US at Google, Dropbox, The Smithsonian, WBUR, KQED, The San Francisco Library, and many others. She is regularly featured on podcasts and interviews. Miyoko has been recognized by major media outlets as a cultural icon and food innovator, and was named to the coveted inaugural list of Forbes 50 Over 50 in 2021 as well as a “Game Changer” by Food and Wine. She has been featured in the New York Times, Forbes, Food and Wine, Bloomberg, Washington Post, The Guardian, San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Post, and many other media outlets. Miyoko has three grown children and resides in West Marin with her dogs, cats, and close to 100 other animals. Guest Website: https://www.ranchocompasion.org/Guest Social:https://www.instagram.com/miyokoschinner https://www.facebook.com/miyokoschinner https://www.youtube.com/@thevegangoodlifewithmiyoko Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, & share! https://caremorebebetter.com Follow us on social and join the conversation! YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/caremorebebetter Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/CareMore.BeBetter/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CareMoreBeBetter LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/care-more-be-better Support Care More. Be Better: A Social Impact + Sustainability PodcastCare More Be Better answers only to our collective conscience and aims to put more good into the world. As a listener, reader, and subscriber you are part of this pod and this community and we are honored to have your support.

On this episode of the California Now Podcast, host Soterios Johnson heads across the Golden Gate Bridge to talk with three local experts about where to eat, shop, and play in Marin County. First, Johnson talks with Alex Fox, owner of Food & Farm Tours in West Marin. Fox delves into Marin's history of sustainable and regenerative agriculture, tracing its roots back to the Gold Rush era. “A lot of people don't know Marin County was actually the very first agricultural hub of California,” she explains. Fox then elaborates on the experiences guests can expect on her tours, like shucking oysters, tasting local cheeses, and getting up close and personal with baby cows. Fox also shares her top picks for what to eat and do in the area, including where to find the best mozzarella gelato. Next up, Johnson is joined by Lauren Harwell Godfrey, an award-winning luxury jewelry designer based in Marin County. Her handcrafted, ethically sourced designs draw inspiration from ancient textiles and patterns of the African diaspora, and are highly sought after by collectors. Reflecting on her journey in building her brand, the designer mentions some notable individuals who wear her jewelry. “Kamala Harris actually has worn a lot of my pieces,” she reveals. Lauren also discusses Marin's vibrant food scene, great local shopping, and her favorite places to spend time outdoors. “It's just a very special place,” she remarks.  Lastly, Johnson talks to John Finger, the CEO of Hog Island Oyster Company. Finger dives into his background as a marine biologist and what motivated him to establish his very own oyster farm in Marin County. He then shares the factors that make Tomales Bay ideal for oyster farming. “It's really about that exchange with the ocean, that nutrient-rich water, good tidal cycle in and out through the bay that really creates a great oyster,” he explains. Finger also recounts eating his crowd-favorite barbecue oysters with celebrity chef Roy Choi and director Jon Favreau on an episode of Netflix's The Chef Show. Finger also shares a handful of his go-to outdoor activities and neighborhood spots around Marin County.

Out of the Fog and Into the Light Retreat – March 2024  The Bay Area Retreat Committee is excited to invite you to our annual Out of the Fog in Marin County on the weekend of March 15-17, 2024. Enrich your recovery with meetings, workshops, meditation, and fellowship. We will also enjoy all manner of outer circle activities including drum circles, campfires, game night, talent/no talent show, and hiking among the rolling hills of West Marin. Early Bird pricing ends on Feb 11th. Register for the Retreat here:  http://bit.ly/retreat2024link Submit proposals for Workshops here:  http://bit.ly/2024workshopform  Please share the links to the online registration with your meetings/fellows. If you have any questions, please email us at mailto:bayarearetreat@gmail.com. EP 074 U. shares his Experience, Strength & Hope Join us in this episode as U. speaks at the Serenity on the Sound retreat. In addition to sharing the journey of his addiction, U. shares about finding recovery in the rooms of Sexaholics Anonymous before coming to SAA, as well as spiritual awakenings through surrender, gratitude, forgiveness and prayer.   YouTube Links to music in this episode (used for educational purposes): Wardruna - Kvitravn (White Raven): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhiUacGzIg8   7th Tradition Donations for the podcast via the Bay Area Intergroup PayPal: BAISAApaymentonly@gmail.com To donate to the ISO: https://saa-store.org/7thTradition/   Be sure to reach us via email: feedback@sexaddictsrecoverypod.com If you are comfortable and interested in being a guest or panelist, please feel free to contact me. jason@sexaddictsrecoverypod.com Launching soon: https://sexaddictsrecoverypod.com/ SARPodcast YouTube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn0dcZg-Ou7giI4YkXGXsBWDHJgtymw9q   To find meetings in the San Francisco Bay Area, be sure to visit: https://www.bayareasaa.org/ To find meetings in the your local area or online, be sure to visit the main SAA website: https://saa-recovery.org/meetings/   The content of this podcast has not been approved by and may not reflect the opinions or policies of the ISO of SAA, Inc.

On this episode, West Marin-by-way-of-Oakland artist Jeremy Lyon, aka KING DREAM, joins me as guest artist to dive deep  into his new RnB tinged cosmic rock LP "Glory Daze V," and chat about the fluidity of the Bay area music scene and the beauty and curse of being an independent artist.  Plus 2 hours of fresh music from the Bay and beyond. 

We chat all things liquid with Sam Levy, Fern Bar's operating partner, former bar manager at the (once) 3 Michelin starred The Restaurant at Meadowood and current bar consultant at the newly revamped Nick's Cove

On this episode, meet the wonderful Indianna Hale, a San Francisco singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist that mixes Spaghetti Western/Twin Peaks sonics with fuzzy guitars and vocals/lyrics that sound like if Lana Del Rey came from West Marin instead of West Hollywood.  We chat and dive into her new LP "Yesterday's Glitter."  Plus two hours of fresh tunes from the Bay and beyond including a preview of the upcoming Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in Golden Gate Park. 

This special Best of West of Twin Peaks Radio features four recent guest artists chatting and diving deep intro their new LPs.  West Marin singer/songwriter Kelly McFarling talks about her vibey new LP "Bed of a River."  San Francisco duo Step Children chat about their post-apocalytic dance banger "Gnar Noir." East Bay couple Hannah Skelton and Chris Niles explore into their internationally-acclaimed new album "Shapes & Colors."  And San Francisco's Maria Donjacour of Medscool has a conversation about her emotionally revealing debut LP "RAW."

Highlights from this week's conversation include:Pedram's journey into the world of data (4:05)What should the datastack at an early-stage startup look like? (9:53)New ideas surrounding access control for data (24:45)What can data teams learn around complexity from software engineering (30:55)Scaling up instead of scaling out in processing data (37:40)Why DuckDB is making so much noise in the market (41:06)Final thoughts and takeaways (53:25)The Data Stack Show is a weekly podcast powered by RudderStack, the CDP for developers. Each week we'll talk to data engineers, analysts, and data scientists about their experience around building and maintaining data infrastructure, delivering data and data products, and driving better outcomes across their businesses with data.RudderStack helps businesses make the most out of their customer data while ensuring data privacy and security. To learn more about RudderStack visit rudderstack.com.

First up in our "Legends of the Sport"  is Steve "Gravy" Gravenites. Born and raised in West Marin in Inverness Ca. Gravy spent is youth in the early 70's jumping BMX bikes in Tiburon and graduated to shuttling runs on Mt. Tam. His passion for wrenching led him to Sammy Haggar's shop in Sausalito and then was launched into orbit at the first MTB World Championship in Durango in 1990. Wrenching for Yeti, Schwinn, Volvo Cannondale and Marin his tools took him around the world. Like a magician his touch turned into gold, literally. Helping the likes of Jimmy Deaton, Missy Giove, Alison Sydor, Myles Rockwell, Tinker Juarez and countless others to national and world championship wins. In NorCal his legendary "De'La" rides are still the epic of epics. 

KGMI's Joe Teehan talks to Dave Tucker from the Industrial Workers of the World about workers at West Marin in Bellingham deciding to unionize.

Andy Moeckel aka the “ Flip Flop Guy” known for his delicious wild game cooking style and family marinade recipe. Andy is an accomplished hunter/fisherman & was born and raised in West Marin, California. After a troubled youth, Andy turned his life around and began sharing his Grandfather's cooking when it was passed down to him by his father on his 25th birthday. Andy's Grandfather Al Giddings was a Fish & Game warden, WWII Veteran and responsible for adopting the Portuguese sheep rancher “flip flop” style of cooking with venison and crafting a delicious marinade recipe. On location in Sonoma at West Coast Archery's Last Chance Broadhead Shoot, Andy introduced me to the venison flip flop before we recorded the podcast. I was fortunate to try Axis deer from Maui, which I had heard so many great things about. Tasted absolutely fantastic and it's some of the best meat I've ever had! We go in great detail how Andy cooks this way and where he has been sharing this way of cooking for twelve years. It's now taking him all over the country to share this experience with everyone. Honored to catch up with Andy for this podcast and experience the Flip Flop. Andy also tells us about his favorite Marin County and USA restaurants.  Be sure to listen at the end for some well spoken life advice. Can't wait to see Andy again and cook with him next time. If you get a chance to see Andy doing the flip flop, it's a must! The Flip Flop Guyhttps://www.theflipflopguy.coShow Noteshttps://www.foodoriginspodcast.com/podcast

S1 | E10:  Happy customers are the key to any business, but Sergio Vergara isn't a weather man.  Together with his wife, Susy, he owns the Stinson Beach Market, where they sell just about everything - except sunshine.  We spoke to him about the special sauce they provide at their West Marin grocery store and how the allure of this beach town drew them from their native Peru in the first place.  A visit to West Marin also gives us a chance to learn more about this show's producer, Kalina Cloud.  She grew up five miles up the coast from Stinson Beach in Bolinas.  Stay tuned for a road trip to West Marin as we learn how Marin works. Guest:  Sergio Vergara, Stinson Beach market www.facebook.com/Stinson-Beach-Market-136371746398279 For more information on today's episode follow us on Instagram at weareonemarin_podcast

Last week, San Francisco became the first major American city to declare a public health emergency for monkeypox, evoking fears of a previous epidemic from almost 40 years ago. Today, we speak with an expert on infectious disease about reducing the spread of monkeypox in the Bay Area. Then, we hear the history behind the United Farm Workers, the rise of the union founded by Cesar Chavez and its fall, as one historian describes it. And, we'll listen to a reading from West Marin author Barbara Graham.

Join us for a conversation with TNS Host Steve Heilig and Dr. Anna O'Malley—both public health experts and music lovers—about how creative play, music-making, and dancing is soul medicine and builds individual and community resilience. This (outdoor) event happened just before Commonweal's Open House on May 22, 2022.The Open House, included tours, experiential workshops, food, and music. Anna O'Malley, MD: Anna is an Integrative Family and Community Medicine physician, a lover of Nature, a mother of two incredible daughters. As a Bravewell Fellow graduated from the University of Arizona's Program in Integrative Medicine, Anna is inspired by working to transform medicine. Her residency training at University of California, San Francisco at San Francisco General Hospital and her work within the California prison system deepened her understanding of the social determinants of health, the beauty of the path of service, and the critical importance of inclusivity. Her practice of Integrative Family and Community Medicine in West Marin allows her the profound privilege of embodying the healer archetype in the village, exploring innovative models applying Community as Medicine, and honoring the mysterious and beautiful cycles of Life. TNS Host Steve Heilig: Steve is a longtime senior research associate with Commonweal, a co-founding director of the Commonweal Collaborative on Health and the Environment, a host of dialogues for the New School, and in other programs originating at or founded at Commonweal. Trained at five University of California campuses in public health, medical ethics, addiction medicine, economics, environmental sciences, and other disciplines, his other work includes positions at the San Francisco Medical Society, California Pacific Medical Center, and as co-editor of the Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics. He has served on many nonprofit boards and appointed commissions, and is a trained hospice worker. He is a widely published essayist and book and music critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, Huffington Post, and many other publications.

On Today's Podcast This week I sit down with Antonia Van Becker and Greg Lee. Antonia Van Becker and Greg Lee are the founders of Self Health Institute, Inc. and their mission is to empower clients by turning problems that block their success into Golden Opportunities so they can move forward with clarity and confidence. For 27 years they've been using their signature CoreTalk Holistic energy healing therapy to guide healers, business owners, coaches and speakers toward successful outcomes by asking their clients bodies simple questions and getting life-changing answers. They love helping people get past overwhelm, procrastination, self-doubt, and chronic health issues so they can have the life, business and impact they so deeply desire. Antonia and Greg's online courses, the Success Accelerator Code and the Ultimate Self-Healing System, give people the healing tools they need so they can heal and transform their life and business. Together since 1979, their 43-year relationship imbues their healing practice with love, body/mind consciousness, and emotional/energetic balance and awareness. They live their dream in the wilds of West Marin, California, healing others, growing food and writing songs to inspire others to envision and realize their dreams.   How to Connect with Antonia and Greg www.selfhealthinstitute.com www.facebook.com/groups/EntrepreneursSuccessLounge   Get Antonia and Greg's Gift Below

“I don't think we talk enough about how money is a tool for and against the movement…” In this juicy conversation about money, Michelle talks with the very quotable Phillip Chavira, about why Capitalism is trash, where white supremacy shows up, why we need to talk openly about racism and where we have power to make decisions that center our communities and our values. You are going to love this conversation!In this episode, Michelle talks with Phillip Chavira, an award-winning non-profit leader based in the Bay Area of Northern California where he currently is a finance director of Point Reyes National Seashore Association in beautiful West Marin County.This highly quotable, lifelong advocate for all the things we love, Phillip Chavira can be followed on Instagram @phillipchavira Connect with Phillip on Instagram @phillipchavira and LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/phillipchaviraPhillip can be heard on TheUpNUp where he shares his journey to becoming the first person of color to be an Executive Director for the 'Intiman Theatre'(@intimantheatre). From witnessing the inequalities within the arts early on in life to working his way up to co-producing the Tony Award nominated Broadway play ‘Eclipsed'. Check out “Keep c o l o r on stage”Learn more about Point Reyes National Seashore Association's work with the National Park Service and working with local Bay Area nonprofit organizations focused on community building and mentorship primarily in Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and low-income communities. https://ptreyes.org/youth-in-parks/References:Phillip mentions Vu Le and his blog Nonprofitaf.com as a useful resource and recommends using consultants to help navigate difficult conversations within staff, (including Michelle!)Here is a list Phillip created, of things an organization can do to start their journeyMichelle lists Beneficial State Bank and Amalgamated Bank as two socially responsible banks with social justice related missions…Check out The Ethical Rainmaker interview with Heather Infantry, as an example of a badass advocate talking with community foundations about their payouts and inequityPhillip mentions The Pride Foundation in Seattle as an example of spending down reserves and becoming share holders of local organizations (around minute 24)Spend-down organization aka Sunsetting = When a foundation decides to spend out or spend down all of its assets and close its doors. There is usually a date associated with this term. (see The Chorus Foundation and their plans to sunset)POSE is the show Phillip talks about Phillip mentions Vu Le and his blog Nonprofitaf.com as a useful resource and recommends using We talk about Northwest Immigrant Rights Project as an example of an organization that can never close its doors due to systemic injustice, while other nonprofits canStats Dropped:60% of wealth in the US is passed on generationally, mentions Phillipbetween 1983 and 2013, White households saw their wealth increase by 14%, and during that exact same time, Black households' wealth declined 75%, and then Hispanic households from a median perspective, that wealth declined by half.In 2000, the Federal Reserve stopped collecting information on reservations with indigenous houses!“One of the scary things I think about with this racial wealth inequality is that if it remains unresolved, if we keep going at this pace, this trend is going to lead to the median household wealth for Black folks in the year 2053 to be zero. We could potentially see that. Then in 2073, it's projected that LatinX households will be at zero for median household wealth. This comes from the Institute for Policy Studies that utilizes the information from the Federal Reserve.”86% of billionaires since the pandemic are now $5.1 trillion dollars richer while 76 million people lost their jobs.Phillip Recommends These Resources on Race and MoneyThe Racial Wealth Gap from The BalanceThe Native Wealth Gap by The National Indian Council on Aging, Inc.Bernie Sanders' TwitterBrilliant Quotes:“Capitalism is just trash. The way that it has evolved over time and how just had it disproportionately affected people a lot by race, it infuriates me and it torments me as I study capitalism. You mentioned the education, and I like that you put that footnote in there...I want to take that and put that on my business card because centering around dollars, I feel that when a human does that, they can exploit others at a cost. There's always a cost you gain in that dollar. That dollar was received from your family and it was passed on and how did your family ethically received those dollars, how are organizations making high profits off the backs of Black and Brown people around this world.” “I think that what drives me crazy about the fact that we hide from our finances, I do this in our family, I see it in our family, I see it in organizations, I've had executives tell me, "Well, I don't really look at the spreadsheets, I'm told the numbers," and as somebody who looks at the numbers every day, I'm like, "There's so much room for change." “...people said make as much money as you possibly can, pay as little as you can, get as much money as the consumers are willing to pay, and it just was driven into a generation where they think that money equates love, money equates success, money equates fame. That's one of the biggest lies that I feel has been applied through entertainment, it has been applied through social media. There's documentaries about how social media has affected us, so this belief that money is going to save the day, is a fallacy. I think that this divide that is going to continue to happen is terrifying and we have to do something about it.”

This week's artist talk features Sublime Ordinary Artist Susan Hall. Susan presents us with an illumination of the everyday as it exists within the natural world. She creates landscape paintings and ceramics inspired by Point Reyes. Inspired by technical and spiritual lessons she has learned over the decades, her art reveals the consciousness of West Marin in Northern California. Susan is known for capturing the local landscape through ethereal tones and colors.

Kevin helps out some new rider coaches.  Larry did a little riding in West Marin.   Tom scooted some errands. One of the listener’s mentions a Gymkhana event and we discuss what that entails. News: We discuss the new Royal Enfield Meteor 350.  Is it groundbreaking, in a small way? Paddock: Larry mentions Harley and Indian getting into the MotoAmerica Super Bagger series in a big way… A Shout Out! Tom reviews good experience he had with Klim (In & Motion) service concerning his airbag vest. Special Thanks: A big thank you to Donald, Kevin, Alex, Roger, Autumn, John, Rodney, Nick, Stinger, David, Paul, Steven, Lloyd, Mathew, Dan, TC, Jorge, Randy, Shaun, James, Tyler, Paul, Jeff and Chuck.  Thank you all for becoming supporters of the show. If you would like to help bring new features to the show, go to our website and click the Patreon logo to join the Throttled Crew.  With your help we can grow and be able to provide more content for our wonderful listeners. Follow us on:Twitter: @ThrottledShow Instagram: ThrottledShow Facebook: Throttled Podcast Listen Live:You can tune in and listen to our hosts attempt to make this podcast each and every week.  Approximately 15 minutes before we go live we make an announcement on Twitter and Facebook with the link to the YouTube stream, so make sure you are following us. Remember, find us in ITunes and give us a rating. Send your feedback to feedback@throttledpodcast.com. Ride safe everybody!!!

It's an Americana/folk leaning episode of West of Twin Peaks Radio - as guest artist Kelly McFarling joins us from her home in West Marin to celebrate the release of her new LP "Deep the Habit," a project that echoes at times JJ Cale, Dire Straits and The Grateful Dead. PLUS tons of fresh new tunes from the Bay and beyond.

We’re going “au natural” this week, just Kevin and Larry In a rare and exciting opening, the Throttled Podcast begins with absolutely no sound!  Check it out. Larry rides a bit in West Marin, Kevin has been working. Topic: We discuss the future of motorcycle shows, and whether there will be one. News: Honda applies for trademark suggesting they will be coming out with a new sport tourer in the 1100cc class, based on the engine from the Africa Twin. Harley presents more details of their Hardwire plan, Larry is not optimistic. Special Thanks: A big thank you to Donald, Kevin, Alex, Roger, Autumn, John, Rodney, Nick, Stinger, David, Paul, Steven, Lloyd, Mathew, Dan, TC, Jorge, Randy, Shaun, James, Tyler, Paul, Jeff and Chuck.  Thank you all for becoming supporters of the show. If you would like to help bring new features to the show, go to our website and click the Patreon logo to join the Throttled Crew.  With your help we can grow and be able to provide more content for our wonderful listeners. Follow us on:Twitter: @ThrottledShow Instagram: ThrottledShow Facebook: Throttled Podcast Listen Live:You can tune in and listen to our hosts attempt to make this podcast each and every week.  Approximately 15 minutes before we go live we make an announcement on Twitter and Facebook with the link to the YouTube stream, so make sure you are following us. Remember, find us in ITunes and give us a rating. Send your feedback to feedback@throttledpodcast.com. Ride safe everybody!!!

~Co-presented with the Mesa Refuge~ Please join New School host and Zen Meditation teacher Jaune Evans in conversation with Buddhist meditation and organic gardening mentor Wendy Johnson. This dialogue will be grounded in the examination of four core principles of Zen Buddhism and gardening: cultivating the way, maintaining fertility in your practice, propagating new life, and tending the earth. There will be ample opportunity to interact with the presenters during this practical presentation. Wendy is a Buddhist meditation teacher and organic gardening mentor who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. She began practicing Zen Buddhist meditation in 1971 and has led meditation retreats nationwide since 1992 as an ordained lay dharma teacher in the traditions of Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh and the San Francisco Zen Center. As one of the founders of the organic farming program at Green Gulch Farm Zen Center, Wendy has been teaching organic agriculture and meditation for decades. Since its inception in 1995, she has been a mentor and advisor to the Edible Schoolyard Project affiliated with Chez Panisse restaurant. She served as a founding instructor of the College of Marin’s innovative Organic Farm and Gardening Project established in 2009, where she taught organic agriculture for the first seven seasons of the program. In 2000 Wendy and her husband, Peter Rudnick, received the annual Sustainable Agriculture Award from the National Ecological Farming Association. She is the author of Gardening at the Dragon’s Gate, published by Bantam in 2008. Jaune Evans is the executive director of Tamalpais Trust, which supports global indigenous-led organizations. She is a Soto Zen teacher and priest in the Everyday Zen sangha guided by Norman Fischer. Jaune also leads the Heart of Compassion sangha in Point Reyes on Friday mornings at the Presbyterian Church. Her love for stories and West Marin have deep roots. She has served as a board member and advisory committee member of the Mesa Refuge, and has also received two of Mesa’s writing fellowships. Jaune is a new member of the Commonweal Board of Directors, former director of the Institute for Art and Healing at Commonweal, and is currently a facilitator in Commonweal’s Healing Circles program. Find out more about The New School at Commonweal on our website: tns.commonweal.org. And like/follow our Soundcloud channel for more great podcasts.

The San Francisco sound is more about a state of mind. One of independence, curiosity and experimentation. Psychedelics played a role but make no mistake it was a pleathearu of mavericks who made that SF Sound. Guys who were looking to stir things up with late night jam sessions @ the Matrix. Loose open ended affairs with cats who played @ the Heliport and West Marin. A 12 minute space funk jam with Bill Vitt flashing a style he cultivated @ Dave's soul kitchen and John Kahn a Bloomfield favorite who grew up wanting to be Scott Lafaro. There was also a guitarist named Jerry Garcia who was well schooled in bluegrass and psych rock but was a curious cat who desired to stretch his vocabulary. Garcia openly acknowledges that my guest did more for his ears then anyone else he came across. My guest today is a keyboardist and Hammond Organ extrodinare who came from the Midwest and firmly laid his flag in that SF scene. Before heading west he honed his chops working the southern RnB circuit working with Ronnie Hawkins, Little Anthony and the Imperials James Brown and Jimmy Hendrix. Upon arriving in the Bay Area he formed his own band known as AB Skye and found studio work with the Grateful Dead, Martin Fierro and Harvey Mandel. He also has laid claim to several albums under his own name such as Rendevoux with the Sun and The Monk in the Mansion. It's been a long time coming Howard Wales welcome to the JFS. Happy New Year! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jake-feinberg/support

In this Banana Lowell Levinger Interview: Why Serendipity is the norm, Playing with Paul McCartney, two tragic losses in his life, settling down in the Bay area, his vintage guitar business, charitable work with Bread & Roses, his great work ethic, hang gliding, developing Encore software, a great story how he wound up connecting with Steven Van Zandt and loads more. TONS of rock and roll history here, great guy: Banana is a founding member of The Youngbloods, which formed in 1965, and had the hit songs Get Together & Darkness, Darkness. He began his career in bluegrass, playing the coffee shops in Boston and New York City, eventually moving out to West Marin. After a 9 year run with The Youngbloods, Banana then played with Mimi Farina (Joan Baez’ sister) for over 20 years. He also worked in bands with Norton Buffalo, Dan Hicks and his Hot Licks, David Grisman, Barry “The Fish” Melton Band (Country Joe & The Fish), and Zero, where he played keyboard and sang lead for over ten years. He’s currently touring with Steven Van Zandt’s band “Little Steven and The Disciples of Soul.”  Support this Show: http://www.everyonelovesguitar.com/support  Subscribe https://www.everyonelovesguitar.com/subscribe/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EveryoneLovesGuitar/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everyonelovesguitar/ 

EMAIL: avanbecker@yahoo.com WEBSITE: www.selfhealthinstitute.com FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/VibrantHealingWisdom/ SKYPE: none PHONE: 415-328-5110 BIO: Antonia Van Becker and her husband, Greg Lee, are the creators of the Success Accelerator Code which empowers clients by turning problems that block their success into Golden Opportunities so they can realize their dreams. For 25 years they’ve been using their signature CoreTalk therapy to guide conscious entrepreneurs and business owners toward successful outcomes by asking simple questions and getting life-changing answers. They love helping clients get past overwhelm, procrastination, self-doubt, and chronic health issues so they can have the business and impact they so deeply desire. Together since 1979, their 40-year relationship imbues their healing practice with love, body/mind consciousness, and emotional/energetic balance and awareness. They live their dream in the wilds of West Marin, California, healing others, growing food and writing songs to inspire others to envision and realize their dreams.

EMAIL: avanbecker@yahoo.com WEBSITE: www.selfhealthinstitute.com FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/VibrantHealingWisdom/ SKYPE: none PHONE: 415-328-5110 BIO: Antonia Van Becker and her husband, Greg Lee, are the creators of the Success Accelerator Code which empowers clients by turning problems that block their success into Golden Opportunities so they can realize their dreams. For 25 years they’ve been using their signature CoreTalk therapy to guide conscious entrepreneurs and business owners toward successful outcomes by asking simple questions and getting life-changing answers. They love helping clients get past overwhelm, procrastination, self-doubt, and chronic health issues so they can have the business and impact they so deeply desire. Together since 1979, their 40-year relationship imbues their healing practice with love, body/mind consciousness, and emotional/energetic balance and awareness. They live their dream in the wilds of West Marin, California, healing others, growing food and writing songs to inspire others to envision and realize their dreams.

Free 30 Day Manifestation Challenge: http://jjflizanes.com/30day   Inner Circle Mastermind- email me jj@jjflizanes.com  Only 3 spots left!!  Registration closes end January   Inner Circle Membership http://jjflizanes.com/innercircle   Antonia Van Becker and Greg Lee are the founders of Self Health Institute, Inc. and their mission is to empower clients by healing the energetic blocks that are holding them back. For 25 years they’ve been working with entrepreneurs and business owners using their signature CoreTalk therapy to ask simple questions and get life-changing answers that help people go from procrastination to profit. They love helping clients get past overwhelm, procrastination, self-doubt, and chronic health issues so they can be a powerful presence and have the success they’ve dreamed of. Together since 1979, their 40-year relationship imbues their healing practice with self-love, body/mind consciousness, and emotional/energetic balance and awareness. Antonia and Greg’s online courses, including The Ultimate Self-Healing System, teach people how to communicate with their body’s innate healing system to heal and transform their lives. They live their dreams in the wilds of West Marin, California.   http://selfhealthinstitute.com/gift   http://selfhealthinstitute.com   Free 20 Min Rapid Relief Healing Session offered.   Vibrant Healing Wisdom Facebook Group   JJ Flizanes is an Empowerment Strategist and the host of several podcast including People’s Choice Awards nominee Spirit, Purpose & Energy. She is the Director of Invisible Fitness, a best-selling author of Fit 2 Love: How to Get Physically, Emotionally, and Spiritually Fit to Attract the Love of Your Life and The Invisible Fitness Formula: 5 Secrets to Release Weight and End Body Shame. Named Best Personal Trainer in Los Angeles for 2007 by Elite Traveler Magazine, JJ has been featured in many national magazines, including Shape, Fitness, and Women’s Health as well as appeared on NBC, CBS, Fox, the CW and KTLA. Grab a free copy of the Invisible Fitness Formula at http://jjflizanes.com/book    

Antonia Van Becker and Greg Lee are the founders of Self Health Institute, Inc. and their mission is to empower clients by giving them the tools to heal the energetic blocks that are holding them back. They love helping clients get past overwhelm, self-doubt, and chronic health issues so they can be a powerful presence and have the success they’ve dreamed of. Together since 1979, their 40-year relationship imbues their healing practice with self-love, body/mind consciousness, and emotional/energetic balance and awareness. They live their dreams in the wilds of West Marin, California. Guiding Principle, Quote, or Mantra Greg – “I don’t have to do it all. It doesn’t all have to be perfect. And I think other people know how to do stuff too.” When he’s off in the weeds is when he’s looking at what other people are doing and not what he’s doing. When You “Tripped Up” in a Partnership Antonia & Greg have been together for 40 years, so in that time they’ve had many trip ups in their partnership. One of those more difficult moments came when their kids were teenagers. When you’re together you have so many partnerships. One of those major partnerships is how to parent together.  Greg and Antonia described themselves as “night and day” when it comes to how they think. With that, they both had very different parenting styles. This was a huge challenge for them at points. Find out more by listening to the show. Your Proudest Moment in Partnership One of their proudest moments came with their daughter. You know your kids pretty well but not everything. This was a time of total compassion and their daughter in a time of finding herself.  Near the end of high school she went to them and expressed that she thought she was gay. They told her that they had an idea that it may have been the case. Their daughter jokingly said “why didn’t you tell me?”.  It was such a proud moment of acceptance, trust, and love.  The Best Partnership Advice You’ve Ever Received Greg – “Don’t go to bed with a sour taste of yourself or your partner.” Antonia – “Be here now.” Interview Links – Their Website  3 Powerful Ways To Tap Into Your Body’s Wisdom FB Group – Vibrant Healing Wisdom

A conversation with Tom Boss from the Marin County Bike Coalition announcing the Adventure Revival Event in September. Later we talk to Juan De La Roca about the concept of a gravel destination. Adventure Revival Event Registration  Marin County Bicycle Coalition Website  Explore Las Animas Website (routes and more!)    Automated Transcription. Please forgive all errors. TOM BOSS -- Marin County Bicycle Coalition: All right. Tom, welcome to the show. Yeah, thanks for having me, Craig. Yeah, I always like to start off, Tom by learning a little bit more about your background as a cyclist and how you came to gravel riding. Sure. Um, well at first let me start by saying, um, it's a real pleasure to be on your show. Um, I, yeah, I am generally an early adapter. Uh, when it comes to bikes. I was one of the first in my group together, a full suspension bike first to get a single speed first to go 29 or um, but I was a little late on the gravel, the gravel scene and um, I, I jumped on board, uh, at the end of last year, started to really get interested and I actually discovered your podcast serendipitously about the same time, listen to a lot of your older, I'm your archives and, and it was really nice. It was kind of a roadmap for me as I, as I jumped into gravel and I'm learning quite a bit. So just wanting to give you a shout out and thank you for, for the work you're doing. Thank you. I appreciate the kind words. Okay. Yeah. So I grew up here in Moran and, uh, I was bombing down with my friends, uh, on Mount Tam on a 20 inch BMX bike. Um, when Gary and Joe and Otis, we're inventing mountain biking. We're a few years younger and so, uh, those bikes were too big for us. But, um, I've been pretty much riding Mount Tam on a, on some form of a bicycle since, uh, since the 70s. And I'm really lucked out in finding a job at the Greene County Bicycle Coalition, uh, heading up the off road program. Uh, I get to basically promote and, uh, expand bicycling here in Marin, uh, for myself and for everybody else who, who cherishes this, uh, this wonderful place that we live in and visit and enjoy. So it sounds like an ideal job. You certainly, yeah. I consider a Marin county to be an ideal location to be an off road rider. Yeah, we have, uh, as we point out in our, uh, uh, and many of our correspondence, we have 50% of marines land is open as Parkland open to the public, whether it's Mount Tam or China camp. We've got national parks, the CV shore, and lots of open space. And so it really, uh, provides almost, you know, almost everybody that lives in Moran is a few miles away from, you know, amazing trails and, uh, and beautiful scenery. And, uh, so yeah, it's just, it's part of our, uh, it's part of the quality of life here in Ryan for sure. From your perspective at the Marin county bicycle coalition, when did you start seeing the influence of gravel athletes start take over the trails in Marin? That's a, that's a good question. So we, seven, eight years ago we started another bike ride, the, um, or a bike ride, the MCPC dirt fondant, which is primarily a mountain bike ride from the Marin headlands to the top of Mount Tam and back. And, um, right from the start, um, you know, we get a few emails, hey, is this route, you know, are these trails singlespeed friendly or are these trails, uh, uh, cross bike friendly? So, um, so there's, I think the cross in particular, there's a lot of people coming out to our mountain bike events, riding cross bikes and uh, so you could see, um, you know, first you scratched your head, this doesn't make much sense, but then you saw the bikes, you know, get the, some of the wider spacing so they can put bigger tires. And then we saw from that kind of this, this evolution of gravel. And uh, so yeah, just seems like every, every year we have more and more people showing up on different styles of bikes. And last year on the dirt Fondo, you know, I'd say a third of the people where we're not on mountain bikes Ranita or gravel or across or, or a single speed bike. So, yeah, I, for one, have found that some of the trails in southern Marin, they're just more exciting on the gravel bike because they're not, they weren't pushing the limits of mountain bike technology. Once you had a full suspension bike, you were really kind of overprepared for the headlines, if you will. When you're riding on a lot of fire road trails, all of a sudden you get on a drop bar bike and you know, descending a fire fast fire road in the headlands, uh, could give you a thrill again. Okay. Yeah, it really does. You know, without the suspension and what those skinny or tires you have to pay a little more attention and pick your lines again. I used to, you know, focus on lines and in the last 10 years I, with these, you know, big tires and full suspension bikes, uh, you just, I just kind of point and shoot and uh, and, and the gravel has really kind of, I rediscovered a lot of my favorite trails, um, kind of either remembering how it used to be or discovering a whole new, uh, way of traversing them. Yeah, that's the exact same journey I've been on. Just things that I had written for the last 15, 20 years. All of a sudden felt, knew I'd always loved them and had an affinity for them, but now they're pushing my skills technically and made them new again. Yeah, it's real fun. For sure. I caught wind of this year's upcoming dirt Fondo, which is why I reached out to you originally and I was super excited when the team at Studio Vella mentioned that you hadn't announced it yet, but you guys had a big gravel event planned up your sleeve. So can you introduce that event Tom, and we'll start talking a little bit about it. Yeah, so glinted La. It was actually kind of born a little bit out of, out of, from the dirt Fondo we had, um, Erie Oswald and Vanessa, his wife had been coming out to our dirt Fondo for, for years and a few years ago, um, Erie offered, he said, if you guys ever want to do and Gramble event, let me know, I'd be happy to help you plan one. And, uh, so this year we decided to take them up on the offer and we had a meeting with him and we learned that the nor cal league was also wanting to do and gravel events here in Marine County. And so, uh, it was just a no brainer that, hey, we should just join forces and work together and make one really great day on gravel here in Marin. So what's it called? What's the date and what can we expect? So it's called the adventure revival. And we did a lot of thinking about the name. We talked about calling it a gravel, this or that, and uh, but what we are, what we realized in, in thinking about the name and, and developing this ride that Moran has a little bit of a, uh, a history in, in this, in this style of writing. And it is a matter of fact that the guys that started mountain biking, uh, Joe Breeze and Carrie Fisher, notice guy and Tom Richey, uh, back in the 70s, these guys were actually, they started basically on the road and they discovered they found some early cyclocross tires and started taking those bikes on some of the fire roads back in the 70s. And then from there it really evolved, uh, into Ma, you know, then they found the fat tire bikes and, and, and, and started mountain biking. But, um, so, but there's been kind of a history of gravel or, or adventure cycling, uh, more skinny tire drop were bar writing here in Moran for, for a long time. And in the, in the, in the northern California in general. Um, so we decided that we think of it more as adventure cycling. And so we call it the adventure revival to kind of a little tip of the hat to some of those early rides on Belinas Ridge, uh, and also Tom Richey and, uh, Yost brands. We're doing rides down on the Santa Cruz about the Santa Cruz, uh, up in the mountains above Santa Cruz, uh, back in the 70s. So the adventure revival is the name of our ride. It is on Saturday, September 7th, and it will be a journey, uh, from Fairfax, uh, out into the fire roads, trails and roads of last Moran, uh, before coming back to a big party in downtown Fairfax. That's really exciting. I'm super excited about that. And it also, it's, there's a, there's a nice synergy between the dirt Fondo, which kind of predominantly is around the headlands and this side of Tam to starting something over in Fairfax. It's sort of the far end of my normal riding range. I'm really excited to explore with you guys that part of Marin. So are we starting in downtown Fairfax and where do we go from there? Yeah, we'll be starting at the Fairfax pavilion, which is right, right downtown and we'll be heading west on, uh, Sir Francis Drake for a bit and then we'll be going into the marine county open space. Lands will be riding, uh, up on two. Um, Sandra on my red and, uh, two of the routes. We'll take people on to some of the new trails and the Giacomini open space preserve, which are really grapple, friendly and beautiful. You know, you're immersed in redwood forest. Um, and then, uh, then our, our journey, I'll continue west out towards point raise, uh, along Bolinas Ridge. Uh, one route we'll go down the Lima valley trail, which a lot of people don't know about is a, a beautiful trail in the and the point Reyes national seashore. A lot of, uh, interesting, uh, geography happening down there. And then we'll all join back up and, uh, come back, uh, on the Bolinas Fairfax road, uh, into town or we'll have a nice barbecue and festivities waiting for the writers. No, as soon as it is it a mixture of, of double track fire roads and single track throughout the day. Yeah, it's a pretty even mix. There's a single, you know, we start a little bit on the road, get some single track, uh, up up into the White Hill area, go past the Tamar Rancho trail system. Uh, then we're on fire road for awhile. Then like I mentioned, there's that new, some new trails down in the jockey mini preserve that we'll check out. Uh, we're on the Cross Maroon trail through the Samuel P. Taylor park up jewel trail, which is a really nice, uh, trail a lot of people don't check out. And then you're, then you're on that Bolinas Ridge where it's, it reminds me of the sound of music, those rolling green hills and the cows and the smallest band, the background, really a stunning, um, visually, uh, place to be riding. Um, then then a little bit of road down highway one to get to the five Brook's area and uh, and then on the Lima valley trail. So yeah, really it's, it's, I'd say it's a good mix of road, a fire road end and trail. That's great. And that sounds like a fun mix. Terrain adventure. Did you also mentioned to me that you were able to get access to some pieces of property that are otherwise untouchable by riders? Yeah, we're working on that. This is our first year and we're going to keep it all on public lands. But yes, but we're, we've, we've started some conversations with some of the ranchers out in West Marin and we're hopeful that in future years we'll be able to, uh, to provide some routes that will be a pretty special, uh, places, one in a once in a lifetime chance to check out some of the beautiful land. It's not part of the park system. Nice. And are all the trails that are publicly available, are they available year round to cyclists who want to explore out there? Okay. Yeah. So all of these trails that will be on our, uh, you can go out and check them out on your own. Yeah. Four. Well, at least, yeah. 365 days a year. And it sounds like, let's talk in everybody's favorite subjects, tires, wheels. Um, it sounds like with a mixed terrain route, we may not need something super aggressive as a tire. Yeah. There's there, there's enough, there's enough trail that would have roots and rocks and, uh, depending on the conditions, you know, might be a little slippery that I think, I think you're going to want to have a medium to two big tire, um, just to do avoid, you know, pinch flats or, or sidewall punctures. There's Bolinas Ridge has some, some, uh, big routes that you might hit. And, um, yeah, I know on the road, you know, there, there's, there's a, there are some roads sections, so, uh, but, but yeah, I would, I would recommend, you know, a 30, a 38 to 45 millimeter tire, uh, for this ride. Okay. And Are you characterizing it as more of a sort of grand Fonda ride or is as they're racing element to this event? This is more, it's more fondo style where we're, it's a social event. The, uh, the land managers Samarin don't, uh, embrace bike racing. Uh, so this is not a race. This is a ride. Um, but yeah, it's, it's, uh, personally I think travel is a very conductive of more, you know, it's a very social activity. People, uh, you know, can go at whatever pace they like. Um, they'll certainly be some climbs, like a tool and up brand, all that people might want to, you know, test their, their abilities on. Um, but in the most, for the most part, we're really promoting a very fun event. Have Fun Day, we'll have a lot of, uh, a lot of, uh, good, uh, support out on the station or out on the route with, with some really fun activities like we have. But there's this one very rocky section at the top of a white hill fire road where if you, there's gonna be people out there from, uh, one of our sponsors touched on climbing. If you make that section without dabbing, they're going to, they're going to give you a little prize for the effort. So we have a lot of little things like that plan to make it a fun, fun day for everybody. Nice. And I think you mentioned there was a couple of different distances, is that right? Yeah, we have three routes. Uh, we have, uh, what we call the spicy route, which is the big one. It's 48 miles was 6,000 feet of climbing. Uh, we have the medium route, which is 42 miles with 5,000 feet of climbing. And then for people new to a gravel riding, uh, we still have a punchy 23 miles of 2,500 feet of climate. And on the, on the, uh, 23 mile route, is that something that is suitable for beginners in terms of the type of terrain it is, it is suitable, but there, there's still, like I said, that one section I'd mentioned that rocky section at the, um, at the top of the wave hill fire road. Um, you know, you may have to walk that if you're, if you're new to this sport, but in general, uh, that route would be pretty beginner friendly. Yes. Great. And I just have a general question about putting on an event in Marin county. Is it pretty complicated with the various public land holders to kind of organize a re a ride like this? It is, uh, Craig, we, one of the challenges we have is unlike, you know, places like Lake Tahoe where maybe only have one or two land managers of the National Forest Service or, um, that's who usually is the land manager. Here we have four different entities and you never know whose land are crossing. So this ride we're having to permit, um, from we're permitting through open space, marine county open space. We're from writing from state parks or permitting from MWD the watershed, uh, and also the national parks. So that's all for land managers were having to get, uh, to work with to get the permitting for this, uh, event. And uh, they're all very supportive and uh, encourage bike, uh, bicycling in their parks. Um, but yeah, it does, uh, it is a little harder than it is in some places where maybe you're only dealing with one permit and, and the whole ride isn't one on one person's land. Yeah. I think that's what's great about having them Marin county bicycle coalition involved because you have the integrity and longevity of the organization to bring to bear that these land owners can trust you, that you've got their best interests in mind for sure. And we also give back, for example, this part of the, um, one of the things we offered with the permitting for the national park was that we would commit one day of volunteer work on a trail of their choice either before or after the ride. And, uh, and we also have our, our slow and say hello message that we give to all the writers who really remind them that when they're on our, I bet when they're participating in one to borrow against their ambassadors and bicycling and they really need to, uh, be models of a good, um, trail user and you know, be very courteous and obviously obey all the rules. Yeah. Well, I think that's an important note in a important reminder just for everybody listening to support your local bicycle coalitions because they do a lot of work behind the scenes and it's great when you get to come in front of the scenes and create awesome new events for us to enjoy. Um, Tom, I appreciate you coming on the show and telling us about the event. I'm really excited to myself and explore that part of Marin. We will put information about registration up on the podcast notes, um, and we'll get this out as soon as possible, but if you're listening to this registrations already open for this event, there is a cap this year on the number of athletes that the event can hold. So definitely click the link quickly if you haven't already get your slot because Tom and his team are putting on an amazing event that I think is going to be around for a long time. So Tom, thanks for thanks again for joining us. Yeah, well thank you for having me and I look forward to riding with you in September. Juan De La Roca -- Gravel Destinations Juan, welcome to the show. Thank you Greg, really appreciate being here with you this afternoon. So this is a little bit more of a, it's an interesting segment for us at the gravel ride podcasts. Cause one actually reached out over email with a simple question like many of you do and but it was what makes a gravel destination and are there gravel destinations out there in the world? And it struck a chord with me because I certainly in my life have had places I thought were mountain bike destinations like Moab or crested Butte or whistler up in Canada. And I've certainly had rode destinations like borders on in France at the base of Alp do as we're Tuscany in Italy or May. Orca. And all these things resonated with me. But when he asked the question I just had no idea. Like what is a legitimate gravel destination? So one, thank you for bringing that question up and I'd love to have a discussion with you because you live in a place where you think has the fundamental building blocks to become a gravel destination. Yeah, absolutely. So I, I'm a little bit about my background. So I've been in Colorado now for 25 years within the Denver Boulder area, uh, left Denver in 2015. And, uh, actually thought I was going to be done living in Colorado was in that phase where everybody was kind of moving here. We saw a big jump of population and, and uh, we started to kind of pick my, I pick my head up and looked around and said, hey, maybe there might be another place. But, um, I ended up in Austin, Texas down in central Texas, which was actually a great learning lesson because in a lot of ways, you know, often experience with Denver has been experiencing over the last several years with an influx of population pushing people out more into rural areas. So while spending some time riding my bike in central Texas, I a within town outside of Boston called Fredericksburg. And it got me kind of thinking about, you know, what would this kind of look like in Colorado as things start to, you know, take shape and form. And, uh, ended up coming through the town of Trinidad, which is three hours south of Denver, three hours north of Albuquerque. So it's essentially right between the two of them, uh, right on the [inaudible] a corridor and it's an interesting area of the state in that it was sort of the undiscovered forgotten, made fun of unheard of place to go spend time, uh, area of the state. And as I started to look around, I thought to myself, this might be a place that it's going to keep them some growth and activity moving forward as a state car to becomes more popular. And when I first got here, you know, I'm more of a mountain biker. I knew that the, the mountain biking was not going to be super strong because of just the history of the area, a lot of private property, but also too, there's just wasn't a much of a cycling culture. But even a little bit of time that I've been able to spend here over the last two and a half years, I've been pleasantly surprised about the wealth of opportunities and areas to explore, especially on a bicycle. And a couple of years ago I had been doing some consulting work with the local parks and rec department and this idea of developing a product around gravel sites and really kind of jumped out at me just to kind of also take another step back. I, I come out of the advertising industry, consumer research insights trends. I'm really adept at looking at things that are happening and kind of understanding where things are gonna sort of go from there. And um, so I applied those, does that skillset to developing some cycling opportunities in this region. And, and uh, so recently in this, uh, beginning of this year in 2019, working with the Colorado tourism office with able to be in a position to create a second tourism and campaign for this region, specifically focused on the gravel category. And had you started riding gravel bikes herself at that point? You know, I, you know, I say yes because it's, it's funny, right? Cause the cycling industry, it's always been really good at coming up with new categories and products that, you know, say no, this is like the thing that you want to have or this is the direction you want to go sort of thing. So I feel like raffles and we've kind of been there, but at the same time it's never really had this sort of focus of a genre or a segment of cycling, um, like it has in the last several years. So I mean beyond my, my mouth, I can have a Tory by, uh, cyclecross bike and was, you know, just definitely somebody who likes to explore and in was open to, you know, just going out and riding dirt roads. So it was happening. It was sort of natural. But when I started to see, you know, that gravel was really starting to pick up speed and speed, uh, it was starting to get a lot of popularity and following, then that's when I started saying to myself, you know why? Like this is more than just something that you kind of just do because you just want to have fun and explore. It's actually becoming something a little more serious. That's interesting that you took your sort of professional background, your ability to analyze trends and started to see like, hey, the type of terrain which maybe isn't super technical or accessible as a pure mountain biker in Trinidad combined with this trend of drop bar off road activity happening in the bike industry came together to create an opportunity that you might not otherwise have pursued. Yeah, no, it is it interesting in Trinidad because going back to the mountain biking piece, um, so it turned out it's an interesting place. It's, it's going on or a lot of transition right now. It's a rural town. You said a population of 10,000. It's the largest campus in the largest county in Colorado with a total of 15,000 people all together. Uh, so it really has a lot of open space and little crowd. So the cycling community is fairly small here to begin with. I and the mountain biking, it's going to take some time. We, we've actually had some really cool things happen here in the recent months. Uh, the state of Colorado, along with the city of Trinidad, the Nature Conservancy and the trust republic land. It's actually just purchased a 19,000 plus Acre ranch, three miles south of the town. It actually borders the, yeah, so we're really close to the New Mexico border and the border actually goes through the property itself. And so that's something that's going to happen over the next several years, but it's just going to take a lot of work and resources because you know, building trail is a pretty labor intensive sort of scenario. However, uh, there is also a lot of dirt roads already existing on this property, so it's actually going to be something that's going to fold into the overall offering that the county has. Um, the interesting thing is this here is that we have 1500 miles of county road. Uh, when I looked at that number, I thought to myself, I'm like, you know, I know that that's not unique necessarily, but that I feel like that's pretty distinct. And that's a way of kind of talking about why you could be a destination. Because the reality is, is if there's going of your Rick graveled like destination and has to be in a world sort of setting because it, you know, the urban is constantly under the pressure of development. Rose are being lost, can you subdivisions that are being brought in. And so this idea that, you know, the southeastern portion of the state could possibly become a destination to ride a gravel bike because of the fact of its rural setting and it's dirt roads you can't really appealing. And it was really great because at the same time it was infrastructure was already in place. You know, going back to the mountain biking, you know? Right. It costs money to build trust. You've got to get grants, you've got to get, you know, a local buying from your government and all these things that go along with it. But, uh, with gravel, it's really about using existing resources already in place. And, and southeast Colorado is a place where, I mean, it's remote, it's got back country. Uh, it's got the history, you've got scenery, has got culture. It's got a very dynamic sort of, um, things on the plate and give it some substance and worthy of a meal for, for a cyclist, I get to say, right? Yeah. When I got your email and we had a couple of back and forth, I started thinking about, well what are the things in my mind that made a great cycling destination? And I came up with three things and I, the first one was the obvious, which is great writing, but information about the writing. So the available easy availability of roots. The second thing was a cycling, ambiance and a cycling infrastructure, right? I want to, I want to be able to go to a bike shop and get equipment that I need. I want there to be a vibe in town around cycling, even if it's subtle. And the third thing we're events and the reason why I listed events is cause I've, I felt like having events in the community gave people a taste of it and then would make them want to come back. So I'm curious as you, your vision for building out this community and this destination around Trinidad, of those three building blocks, where are you at with each of them? And do you agree with that at all? No, I think you're absolutely right and, uh, in all of this because, uh, you know, we, we've seen it already happened with the mountain bike destination in the road bike destination and each of those stages is found there. Um, I think for me right now with Trinidad where I see it, I think three of those four already, uh, very strongly in place. The fourth is going to take a little bit more of a, um, bit of time. But I think what's interesting is going, cause, you know, you talk about information, you, the availability of information is so fast now. We are such a digitally forward a society that, uh, whereas you know, 15, even 15, 20 years ago, it took a little bit of time. You know, maybe you read it in a magazine or there was a war, you know, word of mouth has been around forever, but there wasn't this sort of critical mass sort of way of like finding information. You're learning about new things. So, um, going back to the Colorado Tourism Office, uh, initiatives that we started at the start of the year. So the campaign is called explore last time dimensions, that dirt series. And, um, I was able to, to create a website, explore Las animas.com and then also start to populate it with content and, um, go out and, uh, get content that we'll be able to speak to people who may entice people to come here. So that would be through photography and video. Uh, right now I am working on film portions of this so that there isn't any films necessarily yet, but we've definitely gotten about three months worth of photography. Content is being pushed out through Instagram and the Facebook and your social media channels and giving people information, um, about where to go. And, and, and that's something I, I, uh, I really took the time to, to, to look at and figure out how I could, you know, best articulate what the writing opportunities look like and where you could go. And so, uh, I, I essentially created 26 different routes. They vary in length. He, there's a section, there would be 25 or less miles and then there's a 40 year last and then a 50 to 75, 75 plus 100 plus. And in the end I ended up with 16 over 1600 miles worth of routes and they're all now on ride with gps, Strava as well as ride spot that people for bikes. Yeah. Well I thought that was awesome. I put a big check mark versus, uh, around information available with your project because the site is great. The, the roots are divided amongst different lengths and there's great information. So if you were to land in that area, you, you know, you have more miles than you can do in a week easily. Yeah, exactly. You know what, it's funny too because I noticed that a little bit overwhelmed because so many people know little about Trinidad in general. It's, it's super interesting. The printed ad was probably one of the first, uh, communities, families in the state of Colorado. I believe it was 1862. Uh, it was where the Santa Fe trail came through. So we have, uh, uh, you know, this idea of traffic coming through here and then the railroad came through. And then of course the interstate though though we have this like traveler mentality, but it also had a lack of people over, especially over the last 15 years, who would actually get off the highway and look at what was here. And I think that that's what's the beauty of bicycles and how popular they are and, and, uh, how appealing they are to people. Just say it pushes people into places that they didn't think they would go into. So, you know, the, the mindset from the, from the Gecko was this was all about discovery and exploring. And so could I added that is where the great writing comes out of, right? Because the people who, you know, go down that road, they tend to have experiences and those experiences become great memories and those great memories become the things that they talk about with other people. So, uh, that's why I think for great writing pieces that we have that it's just a lot of people don't know about it necessarily. But with that information, we're really going to highlight that and, and, uh, give people a chance to get out and experience it for themselves. And then lastly, you were dot. You were talking about events do it. I think, um, we've been fortunate in that there actually has been an event that's been going on here for about five years now. It's called the Pony Express one 16. Uh, this year we actually had them, the largest field that takes place in mid May. Uh, it was started by a gentleman named Phyllis for, uh, Schweitzer, who he runs a copy off to be saddles. And then, uh, the interesting thing with him was that he was a longtime competitor in the Lego 100 as well as the Berkey Byner, uh, a cross country ski race here in Minnesota for a number of years. She's done a ton of events and he came down here on his own in 2012 and started scoping out the area and realize that he could, uh, create a, uh, a course that would be, you know, really in line with what was happening with gravel. So he's actually got a hundred mile force. It's about seven miles outside, starts an n seven miles outside of town. And uh, just last, uh, the last one, we had some really great feedback from people because it was for many of them who was their first time. So I think you're really are spot on with the events because the events are what introduce people to an area. Is there anything, you know, sometimes it's just a, you know, a friendly note from a friend and be like, Hey, let's go to this place. Let's go check this out. You know, I've never there, but let's just go see what it's all about. And you know, they come and then all of a sudden it kind of spirals from there because they start talking to other people and then we go back to the social media police peace and critical mass starts to accumulate. Yeah. Then I think that the hardest piece to kind of get to come together in a small rural community is that kind of cycling on Beyonce and infrastructure, but that, I think it comes with opportunity. Right? You know, you look at the stories around Emporia, Kansas who had dirty Kanza and how, you know, it's clear that in the bars in the, obviously in the bike shops, but the cafes, they've just started to embrace the fact that cycling is a big part of the identity of that community and it's developed this kind of world worldwide reputation for being a cycling hub. And I, and I think you know, business owners are not going to get there by themselves unless they happen to be a cyclist. But the sheer opportunity of meeting your customers where they're at, I think is where a rural community like Trinidad may see an opportunity and you'll start to see some of those cycling elements and fused in cafes and bars and different elements. Yeah, absolutely. I need at this point, I, it feels like cycling general are essentially a key ingredient in the blueprint of the economic development, revitalization of town. You know, I, I, you know, it takes to start seeing bike lanes, you start seeing signage, you start seeing people on bikes and it really starts to dovetail into this activity that happens in a community that is both positive and economically beneficial. And so, uh, you know, right now the state of Colorado in general is, is very much focused on addressing the urban rural divide. And, uh, the cycling pieces is a big piece of it because it, it brings something fresh. It brings, you know, like I say, activity in a way where it inspires people to either get out on a bicycle or maybe start a business and, and, and cater to those people. So yeah, it's going to be interesting. We do have one bike shop in town's been here for a really long time. It's called ultimate sports, uh, in nutrition. And um, you know, they're, they're the only shop here but this is definitely a tower you could virtually see, you know, several bike shops. I mean you can go to a little town like saliva, which is three hours, two and a half, three hours away from us. Uh, definitely more known for it's mountain biking, but you know, that's account or it's smaller than Trinidad, 6,000, but they have a seven bike shops. You know, that's pretty impressive. Yeah. Well this is really interesting discussion. One I, I really truly appreciate you reaching out to me and kind of putting it in my mind cause I do think it's very interesting for our listeners to think about and for the listeners out there, let me know, Ping me if you think your neck of the woods is a gravel destination and let us know if kind of the criteria that we laid out make sense. So I'll put the link to the website in the show notes so everybody can check it out. It definitely sounds like a pretty exciting region. And like I said on the website, there's plenty of rides, just spoonfed Tisa if you're within driving distance, definitely put it on your summer tour. And if it's a flight away, maybe look at the pony express one 60 as an event to be the cornerstone of your trip. But get out there and check out Trinidad and let, uh, let one know what you think. Yeah. I encourage everyone to come and check this place out because I think it's one of those places where right now everything that you wouldn't think it would be, but you want because you're on a bravo. It's got all the things that you want to, you know, find and, and see on a ride, you know, from wildlife to scenery, uh, to just, you know, history, you know, history is the big thing. I think that really distinctly puts us in a, in a different sort of place because a history, something that you know, uh, you see and you feel when you're, when you're around it. So that's the beauty of it. Well, that's super exciting. Thanks for the timeline. Okay. Thank you, Craig. I appreciate it.

Interview with Roddey Reid about his new book, "Confronting Political Intimidation & Public bullying: A Citizen's Handbook for the Trump Era and Beyond."

We talk to farmers in California's Central Valley and West Marin to unearth the planet-saving potential of soil.

Anna O’Malley The Ecology of Community Medicine The approach to medicine and healing within our current medical system is falling short of achieving improved health outcomes, much less optimal vitality. A majority of chronic diseases, so costly to “manage” and “treat” medically, are preventable and often reversible by aligning our behaviors, our thoughts, our actions with that which heals. Delivering medical care while building community strengthens the social context within which behavior change happens. Join TNS Host Michael Lerner with Integrative Physician Anna O’Malley in a conversation about the ecology of community medicine and her work in the Art of Vitality program at the Regenerative Design Institute at Commonweal Garden and in West Marin.

Bay Area Planting Justice co-founder Haleh Zandi discusses the work of creating sustainable food systems, green jobs, and healthy communities by building over 400 edible permaculture gardens, a food justice curriculum, and green jobs for former prisoners.TRANSCRIPTSpeaker 1:Method to the madness is next. You're listening to method to the madness, a weekly public affairs [00:00:30] show on k a l expertly featuring bay area innovators. I'm your host, Lisa Keifer. And today I'm interviewing Holly Sandy Co founder and educational director of planting justice, a Bay area nonprofit, growing local sustainable food systems, green jobs and healthy community. Speaker 2:Welcome to the program today. Thank you for having me. We're very curious [00:01:00] about planting justice. You're a local nonprofit. What do you do? We run several programs. One is a landscaping service that transforms yards into edible gardens. And then I work in the educational program where we're leading food justice, culinary arts and permaculture design programs at several high schools in Oakland and apartment complexes and other community organizations as well as at San Quentin state prison [00:01:30] and um, juvenile detention centers in the area. We also have a canvas program, a full time staff who are on the streets raising funds and talking with folks about food justice issues and organizing. And then we have several urban farm and training programs, a five Acre farm in El Sobrante that is a permaculture food forest. And then our newest a nursery is at a hundred and Fifth Avenue in Sobrante Park in Oakland, [00:02:00] East Oakland, where we have 1100 different varieties of fruit and nut trees that get shipped across the country through online orders. Speaker 2:Okay. So this sounds really great. What are the problems you're trying to solve? We're really looking at the intersections of the health crisis, which is linked to the food crisis on the economic crisis that we're facing and the climate crisis. And so we're really trying to create living wage jobs that are for [00:02:30] people with barriers to employment within the food system to create a more local and sustainable food system here in the bay area. One of the things you say on your website, uh, you believe the modern colonial food system is a paradigm of war. Yeah. Can you explain that? The way that our industrialized and globalized food system operates now is like a slow and violent warfare on our bodies. It's literally killing us from diet related diseases to low wages and slavery [00:03:00] within the industrial food system here in the u s and around the world, you call it violence of the industrial food system. Speaker 2:Yes. So if you look at, for example, the chemicals that are in the pesticides and fertilizers sprayed on conventionally grown produce, those are the same chemicals that are used to make bombs. Ammonium nitrates. Wow. Yeah. And after World War II, the munitions industry funneled through Congress, their leftover chemicals into the agricultural industry, and [00:03:30] that's all seeping into our food system and into the rivers and, okay. So a lot of the things you're working on, use the word justice, that's food justice, economic justice, environmental justice, social justice. I'm curious how you came into this arena, like you studied cultural anthropology at UC Santa Cruz, correct. And in San Francisco at the California Institute of Integral Studies. Yes. Did that lead you to this field? Yeah. At that time I was really studying [00:04:00] feminist movements in Iran and Iraq and Afghanistan. My family's from Iran and most of my family lives there. Speaker 2:My Dad was the only one to come to this country back in 1978. And so at that time I was doing a lot of anti-war organizing and it whether it was when Bush was in office and there was a lot of threats of going to war with Iran and I was really scared for my family and my livelihood. And so I felt like those strategies that I was working on, whether it was going door to door, doing [00:04:30] letter writing campaigns, asking Congress to end the war, prevent wars, marches and rallies, I felt that those strategies weren't effective. And I really did some self reflection on my privilege and my sphere of influence and power. I went to Iran in 2009 to visit with my family and um, it was very clear to me that if I were to be organizing there, I would have a very high risk of being in prison. Speaker 2:But when you look at the prison population here, I have a lot of light [00:05:00] skin privilege and gender privileged, cisgender privilege. And despite wanting to work in the Middle East, I see that my, my power is really here where I can use that privilege to build and organize and create jobs and do the work that planning justice is doing. When did you get started? Back in 2009 and you're local? I came back from Iran in Oakland and we've built over 380 [00:05:30] gardens in or more in the past six, seven years. So, so those are all throughout the bay area? Yeah, I was reading that recently. The father of permaculture passed away. Yes. What is the importance of permaculture? Permaculture is a system of design for human settlements and looking at the way that nature's patterns and cycles work and replicating in our buildings and [00:06:00] the way we grow our food in our, in all of our interactions with the natural world, it has three ethics care for the people, care for the earth, return the surplus and then it has maybe nine I think themes and so those are usually studied in a permaculture design course. Speaker 2:It takes usually about two weeks. Our curriculum is really hands on and is either gardening activity, so building the garden or maintaining the garden or culinary arts activities where we're harvesting [00:06:30] from the garden and using those products to make different things. We connect each lesson to a social movement so that that's the food justice related aspect to it. So we look at different social movements both locally and around the world presently and historically, and connect them with the issues that our participants are facing in the community. What high schools are you teaching this curriculum? Man, we're at Fremont high school in partnership with the Latino men and boys program there. We're at McClymonds high school where we work with teachers [00:07:00] there and we're at this year at metwest high school. We're also at West Oakland middle school. Okay. So what's been the response from the students? Are they getting into it? Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean it's different across the board. Every one has some kind of memory or connection with gardening, whether it's with their auntie or whatnot, but there's also a history of slavery in the African American community around growing food. And then currently in Latino, I'm Mexican or Central American [00:07:30] families that's very present for them around growing food and those unfair and unjust conditions. And so you have to be able to talk about these things with the students and have those conversations where they come to an understanding of learning to grow your own food and developing these skills is about food sovereignty and taking care of our communities. Do they get the connect between who they are and the food they eat? Oh yes. So it's very culturally relevant. Our educators from the communities that we're serving, so we [00:08:00] are hiring directly from San Quintin, the guys who are coming home from our program in San Quintin. Speaker 2:We're in partnership with the insight garden program at San Quintin. And so when guys return home, they join our, our staff and weather and landscaping or canvassing or at the nursery at the farm. They're developing all those skills and then they can come be mentors at our high school. Love this part of your, but you have several programs, but I want to talk about that holistic reentry program, which is where you're employing former prisoners. Okay. Well, we, um, started working with the insight garden program [00:08:30] in 2009 and built a vegetable garden there. It took about five years to build four raised beds. So why did you choose that prison system? We were invited by the insight garden program to, to help build the garden there. What we heard from the guys in the class is that they really needed jobs when they got out. We work in the medium security unit, so guys are returning home from our program several times a year. Speaker 2:We have guys getting out and so if they're coming to Alameda Contra Costa County, then we're there, have the opportunity to join our staff [00:09:00] at, um, entry level wage 1750 an hour and do they get benefits? And then once there's a 90 day probationary period, yes, there's health benefits, dental, chiropractic, vision paid time off. Really we want to demonstrate that we can have these living wage jobs within the food system because the food sectors, such a low paying sector, but it's really such an important part of our society and there's a lot of racism [00:09:30] in that. Have you been tracking recidivism? Yeah. So California in general has almost a 70% recidivism rate, which means that within one year someone who gets out is going to go back to prison. At planting justice, we have a 0% recidivism rate congratulate. We have 40 people on staff. The majority of those folks are people who have been formerly incarcerated. Speaker 2:And so the holistic part of it is that there's a whole host of challenges that people face when they come home from housing [00:10:00] because they can't be eligible for section eight and the prices in the bay area are so inflated right now that housing is a really challenging issue. So that's something that we're trying to address. How are you trying to address that? We're looking at building a tiny home re-entry eco village, putting a set of tiny homes on a piece of property with a common area and having that be a space where formerly incarcerated folks can can live and learn about the food justice movement and get, you know, get [00:10:30] that support that they need. Well does that include any kind of psychological counseling as, yes, we have case management on staff as well. And you know, things like substance abuse and families having family support, there's a whole host of issues that people are facing and we do a lot of restorative justice circles within our staff. And so rather than having a disciplinary approach to when you know, when issues arise, when conflicts arise or when people aren't showing up and need to be held accountable, then we sit down in a circle, [00:11:00] a sacred space to communicate with each other about how it's affecting us, um, and why and why and what are the underlying issues and really talking about it within the lens of the structural racism and classism and sexism that people are exposed to on an everyday basis. Speaker 1:If you're just tuning in, you're listening to method to the madness weekly public affairs show on k a l expert [00:11:30] celebrating the bay area, La San Diego cofounder, an educational director planting justice. Your mission is to democratize access to affordable, nutritious food. They believe everyone should have equal access to food, jobs. [inaudible] Speaker 3:[00:12:00] you've had a lot of successes already since 2009 are you getting a lot of national attention? Speaker 2:Oh yeah, we do. Receive USDA Funds. And so the USDA, that's just trickles down. What should really be available to more cooperative and small and farmers of color should be receiving. Our website has been viewed in dozens of countries all around the world. [00:12:30] And so all of our resources, we really want to keep them open source, you know, the curriculum that we've developed, 18 different lessons and that's free of charge on, on your example to give a donation. Um, and it's currently not up there right now available, but if people contact us, what is your website? Share it@theplantplantingjustice.org. Okay. And how big is your staff? We have 40 people, so we have about 10 people working in the landscaping program, both permaculture designers and permaculture landscapers. And then [00:13:00] we have about eight folks doing fulltime grassroots organizing. We have maybe eight folks at the nursery and farm. Speaker 2:Um, and then our education team is small but mighty. Let's talk about your programs, about your five Acre farm. Who are you selling your produce to? So we just planted, um, over 500 trees, maybe even a thousand by now. This past winter. So our produce isn't [inaudible] yet, not distributing yet. Our vision is [00:13:30] to really make it accessible and affordable to communities all throughout the bay area. And so whether that's doing a CSA, that sliding scale, um, which is done by some food justice organizations already. So we don't want to be competitive around that. Making it available at farmer's markets where EBT and food stamps are, are used. Um, we're growing the types of crops that aren't generally found at farmer's markets correctly. So like pomegranates, lots of nuts of Ocado, those really drought [00:14:00] tolerant, um, Mediterranean varieties, figs, our nursery has, you know, 1100 different varieties as I mentioned. Speaker 2:So those are all the mother plants are now planted in El Sobrante. How did you get this land? It's a total of 10 acres in El Sobrante and it has a freshwater spring on site and Garrity Creek is the creek that runs through it. And so it was slated for development. It was all going to be paved over 30 homes. And the neighbors formed [00:14:30] an association called Friends of Garrity Creek and filed an environmental lawsuit and the developer went bankrupt. So I think no one else wanted, no. The other developer wanted to touch the land though it was only $300,000 for 10 acres. We say only in the parent. Right. And there's an x one existing structure that was, that was not livable conditions. And so the nonprofit didn't have $300,000 at the time and didn't want to go into debt at such a young age. I was back in 2012, uh, 2011 [00:15:00] maybe. Speaker 2:And so we, a few of us formed an LLC called wild and radish and fundraised getting small investments from friends and our network at zero to 4% interest with a model of repayment through rental income. So eventually taking a small portion of the land to build something like co-housing or cooperative housing or where folks can rent and that would generate the income for the community to pay back [00:15:30] those investments. The LLC, Walden Radish offered planting justice, five acres of the most farmable part of the land at a dollar a year for 10 years. The literally nothing. So I'm the board of directors signed onto that and, and we dug swales along the land, which is on a swale. It's a, it's a ditch on contour about a foot wide and a foot deep and you take that dirt and put it on the downhill side to create a berm. Speaker 2:So when it rains, the water is going to fall onto the landscape and rather [00:16:00] than washing down the hillside, it's going to fall into those ditches. If you cover it with Mulch, it's going to really soak into the, um, into the landscape. And then, um, we s we had, we built a deer fence around it cause there's deer and hawks and Turkeys and lots of wildlife out there and, and then set up the area [inaudible] as well. And then do you have a, well on this part you had the spring underneath. Have you taken that? Have you tapped? We haven't tapped it yet. And there's an old windmill on site and an old cistern. So [00:16:30] it used to be pumped uphill by the windmill. So we might eventually restore that water is life that is important, right? Part of apology. Exactly. Are you ever going to have like a little farm store? Speaker 2:Yeah. And then maybe having a food truck. So putting the produce on a truck and having it go around and to different sites where you know our school sites and such where people are already congregating and distributing produce that way. You know, I met a lot of your volunteers, like they've been canvasing [00:17:00] in north Berkeley on the streets and all of them to a t are happy, excited about what they're doing and that was impressive to me. Yeah, I mean it's like a family organization. I mean Gavin and I are partners. We have two kids together and, and so we really, you know, have as a staff treat each other like family and there's a, have you haven't been working on this equally the same amount of time. We started it together. Does he have the same kind of background as you also an anthropology, but he's the one who got the permaculture design certificate [00:17:30] and lived for eight months at the regenerative design institute in Bolinas in West Marin county. Speaker 2:While I was doing my masters research, he was there. And so we kind of had a lot of conversations about what we wanted to see in the world and the strategies we thought would be successful. And one thing I liked what you said about permaculture was that our current food system depends on unsustainable amounts of groundwater, oil and toxic inputs for survival. So bringing it back to really [00:18:00] how I got into this work is if you look at the industrializing globalized food system, it's nasty with fossil fuels from plastics to um, sprays to machinery to getting shipped all around the world. Why are we militarizing the Middle East? I really think because of that natural resource, that precious fossil fuel that our society has really structured upon. And if we were to have a more local and sustainable food system, we wouldn't need to rely [00:18:30] upon fossil fuels. Speaker 2:And maybe that would alleviate that. Militarism of the Middle East is your nursery and aquaponics on the five acres or the tender three is at a a hundred and fifth avenue on a two Acre site in Sobrante Park in East Oakland. And um, the aquaponics is going to be developed there as well. What is aquaponics? It's a way of growing food, mostly Greens and herbs is what we're going to focus on using fish and their waste as the [00:19:00] fertilizer. So it's a closed loop system in which the water is being pumped through the plants and the plants are purifying the water to keep it clean for the fish. And um, so you're basically just feeding the fish. We'll likely do catfish, which some people like to eat. And when you only harvest the fish, I think every nine months or so, maybe one or two times a year you're really getting, a lot of your production is out of the Greens and the microgreens and the Kale and collards [00:19:30] and all the herbs and lettuces and such. Speaker 2:And it doesn't use any soil. So if you have land that is already paved over, which is a lot of the urban areas and Oakland in particular, or land that is the soil that is toxic from the previous industry in the area, then um, it's a really good method for growing food. Why did you choose 100 and 150? Yeah, a hundred and fifth avenue land and access to land is the biggest challenge that people in the food [00:20:00] movement and the Food Justice Movement really face. So you can look at places like Qilombo and Africa, town gardens where that land is being challenged. You know, people need land to grow food and land is so expensive in the bay area. There's public land. If you look at Nathan mclinn talk from UC Berkeley, um, got his phd here, his report around public land and how much public land could be used to grow food. Um, with private land there's so many empty lots that could be [00:20:30] used to be growing food. So it's something that people really need access to. So how did you get access? We got alone from the northern California community loan fund. We were able to purchase it through using that loan, which as a young nonprofit, we wouldn't generally qualify for a loan from a bank or anything like that. So, um, NCCLF is the organization that helped Speaker 1:to fund it. And if you're just tuning in, you're listening to method to the madness, [00:21:00] a weekly public affairs show on k a l x burglary celebrating bay area innovators. You also have a program about transforming your yard. This is one of [inaudible], one of Speaker 2:our income generating programs that very mission-related growing food in the bay area. And so for people who want to grow food in their backyard, whether it's chicken coops, beehives, rainwater catchment tanks, laundry to landscape, greywater [00:21:30] systems, raise beds for vegetables, fruit trees, whatever they want to see in their backyard, our team can do it. And so how would I go about doing this? We have, um, we have a form on our website for, for folks to, um, set up a consultation and then our, one of our permaculture designers will meet with the homeowner or the renter or whatever and get an idea of what they want to grow and what designs they [00:22:00] want to see in their yard grow there. And then our crew takes maybe like three days to a week at most for most gardens to, to transform it, to do everything. And what does that cost? Speaker 2:Oh, that's a range depending on what people want to see. But I would say as low as like 3000, as high as like 15,000. Um, and then previously we used to do gardens both for full paying clients and then for free [00:22:30] and backyard gardens. And now we're focusing more on doing three gardens in community spaces where it's gonna have more of an impact in terms of how many people can access the space and who's going to be helping to maintain the space. Great. So, um, at work you also maintain these gardens once you put them in for somebody? Yeah, we do offer a regular ongoing maintenance if people want. And we also provide a permaculture primer, um, and can teach, um, our clients [00:23:00] along the way about, about, so it's worked out for maybe, you know, maybe, uh, a quarter of our gardens we've, we've built at a subsidized or, or for free for low income communities. Speaker 2:So how many private gardens have you done just approximately in the bay? More than 380, maybe 400 by now. Another one of your programs is the grassroots canvas. And I believe that's what I had previously talked about. Your volunteers who go out and, well, they're not volunteers. Okay. Yeah, they're paid. Yeah, they're on salary. [00:23:30] And what is their goal? Their goal is to get people to sign up as monthly sustainers. And their goal is also to organize folks around food justice issues. So if there's something coming up in, um, within the city or some kind of action or something like that, their goal is also to get new landscaping clients. Their goal is also to connect us with, um, new community and school sites. So they really have a, a multitude of, [00:24:00] uh, functions we're organizing out there on the streets. Where do you see yourself in the next five years? Speaker 2:It sounds like you've accomplished a lot since 2009 for good question. Are you going to be, um, you know, the aquaponics programs really got to go get up and running and that's a really technical system, but we really wanna be able to host that site, uh, for worker owned cooperatives to, um, learn the skills and launch their own projects. Um, we'd really like to see [00:24:30] the tiny, the tiny home reentry eco-village develop in the next five years. And, you know, we're a young organization and we're trying to do, we're trying to model and demonstrate a different way of living and honoring and respecting each other than the current capitalist patriarchal system is operating. And so, although we're, we have to operate within those structures and systems as we're challenging them [00:25:00] and trying to, trying to overturn them, we also have to navigate through them and, and see the ways that they show up in our workplace. Speaker 2:And so I think within the next five years it's really about honing down our skills and our model, educating the public, continuing to do the work as we're doing and, and being self reflective about it and, and trying to really do it the best that we can. Do you enlist volunteers from UC Berkeley or if, if anybody's interested, [00:25:30] how should they reach you? Sure. We're really focused on creating green jobs for people with barriers to employment. And so, um, we, we don't want to exploit any labor by having volunteers and we want to demonstrate that we can grow food and pay people fairly for it. But people do want to volunteer when they have the time and privilege. And so we welcome that at our five Acre farm, generally on Thursdays and Fridays. And, um, you can look at our website, www.plantingjustice.org [00:26:00] under our five Acre farm for more details about volunteer days. Speaker 2:Food is really interesting because it can often seem a political and everybody eats and everyone can connect with that issue in some way, whether they're conservative or not. But it is actually a really political act. And so when you, when we're growing food together and we're also growing community, [00:26:30] so when we're growing food together, we're really connecting it to all the different systems of oppression that we're facing. So whether it's indigenous rights, water protectors who are putting their bodies on the line and the Dakotas or immigrant rights with people coming over the border, the ways that capital can cross border, but people can't, they have so much knowledge around growing food that it should be really respected [00:27:00] and valued. So when you look at what's happening here in Oakland, the history of the Black Panther Party and the ways that they organize the free breakfast program and how that political act became so threatening to the u s government that we would feed little black girls and boys, that that was so threatening. Speaker 2:It's really about connecting the issues and seeing that what we're putting into our bodies is very political. There's so many [00:27:30] ways to work within the Food Justice Movement, whether it's around inner city neighborhoods, not having access to healthy foods because there's so many corner stores and and liquor stores that have nutrients deficient food or working with farm workers and organizing to protect their bodies and their health and get the wages that they deserve. Or in the restaurant industry, the way [00:28:00] that people behind the, um, behind the scenes aren't recognized aren't paid well. There's a lot within our food system to really to really reflect on and make changes about the way we package our foods, the way that our trash systems work and who's picking up our trash and how are they being treated. So I encourage people to just really look across the whole food system from production to processing to distribution, consumption and waste and really identify ways that they can make changes. [00:28:30] They can organize for changes and always at the leadership of those who are most directly impacted Speaker 1:by those injustices. I really appreciate you being on the program. Thank you so much for having us. You've been listening to method to the madness, a weekly public affairs show on k a l x Berkeley featuring bay area in our later Speaker 4:[00:29:00] tune in again next Friday at noon. [inaudible] Speaker 3:perfect. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

JORMA KAUKONEN is one of the most highly respected interpreters of American roots music, blues, and Americana with a history that in?uenced popular rock-and-roll. A member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and a Grammy nominee as well as one of Rolling Stone's "Top 100 Guitarists of All Time," he is a founding member of two legendary bands, Jefferson Airplane and the still-touring Hot Tuna, and is recognized as one of the leading practitioners and teachers of ?nger-style guitar. In 2015, Jorma celebrates the 50th anniversary of co-founding the Jefferson Airplane and is releasing a new studio album 'Ain't In No Hurry' on Red House Records. LOWELL LEVINGER aka “Banana� is the founding member of The Youngbloods, and the original �Hippie From Olema�. Banana began his career in bluegrass on the east coast before co-founded The Youngbloods. The band moved from New York City to West Marin in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1967. In 1969, the band's anthem of peace and brotherhood "Get Together" became a top 5 hit. Over his rich musical life Banana has worked with notable artists like Mimi Farina, Dan Hicks, David Grisman, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Peter Rowan and many others. His latest is 'Get Together' - Banana Recalls Youngbloods Classics. WoodSongs Kid: Rhyan Sprague is 13 and from Lexington, KY. She performs an original song on the WoodSongs broadcast.

Rebecca Burgess Regenerating Community Fiber Systems Join TNS Host Michael Lerner in conversation with West Marin educator, writer, and natural dye farmer Rebecca Burgess. Rebecca founded Fibershed, an educational and community development organization which was founded, in part, to increase awareness around toxic chemicals and their central role in both fabric and health. Photos: courtesy Paige Green Photography Rebecca Burgess Rebecca works as an educator, writer, and natural dye farmer. She enjoys knowing the biological roots of where everything comes from—behind everything we own, use, and consume is a story. Instead of continuously feeling downtrodden by the stories behind a material culture, she decided to change the narrative—beginning with her wardrobe. Her “fibershed project” is a statement and a practice that has shown her that she can flourish in a wardrobe constructed completely from the resources of her community (soil to skin). Limiting her wardrobe to the bare minimum, and using local fiber, dye, and labor has been her greatest joy and challenge to date. Find out more about The New School at tns.commonweal.org.

Ocean Wonders Ocean Wellness is an installation at the Bolinas Museum in West Marin, CA. This show provides an overview of the exhibit and we talk with artists Chris Jordan and Isabella Kirkland who have works in the show.

Ramblin’ Jack Elliott Ramblin' On with Ramblin' Jack Jack was King of the Folksingers. -Bob Dylan Nobody I know—and I mean nobody—has covered more ground and made more friends and sung more songs than the fellow you’re about to meet right now. He’s got a song and a friend for every mile behind him. Say hello to my good buddy, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott. -Johnny Cash One of the last true links to the great folk traditions of this country, with more than 40 albums under his belt, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott is a living legend of American music. A longtime West Marin resident and Grammy Award winner, he has recorded more than 40 albums, influencing countless other well-known musicians. Join Ramblin’ Jack and Commonweal’s Steve Heilig, a veteran music journalist, for an informal talk about Jack’s amazing life story, the many figures he has known and played with through the decades—names like Guthrie, Seeger, and Dylan—and even hear a song or two. Ramblin' Jack Elliott There are no degrees of separation between Jack and the real thing. He is the guy who ran away from his Brooklyn home at 14 to join the rodeo and learned his guitar from a cowboy. In 1950, he met Woody Guthrie, moved in with the Guthrie family and traveled with Woody to California and Florida, from the redwood forests to the Gulf Stream waters. President Bill Clinton awarded Jack the National Medal of the Arts, proclaiming, “In giving new life to our most valuable musical traditions, Ramblin’ Jack has himself become an American treasure.” He has recorded 40 albums; wrote one of the first trucking songs, Cup of Coffee, recorded by Johnny Cash; championed the works of new singer-songwriters, from Bob Dylan and Kris Kristofferson to Tim Hardin; became a founding member of Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue; and continued the life of the traveling troubadour influencing Jerry Jeff Walker, Guy Clark, Tom Russell, The Grateful Dead, and countless others. Find out more about The New School at tns.commonweal.org.

John Gouldthorpe Imagination Is Reality ~Part of the Archetypal Psychology Series~ Join Michael Lerner in his second conversation with archetypal psychologist John Gouldthorpe. Find the transcript of the lecture by James Hillman (mentioned in the podcast) here. Find Michael’s first conversation with John Gouldthorpe here. John Gouldthorpe John has been immersed in the work of archetypal psychology for more than 20 years. In 1989, through the suggestion of James Hillman, he studied with Gordon Tappan at Sonoma State and then stayed on for several years to teach the graduate seminar in Archetypal Psychology. For many years John was a deep tissue massage therapist working with a clientele of psychologists influenced by Stanly Keleman followed by brief period as a clinical psychologist then onto working on the issue of understanding economic globalization and its structural antidote: localized economies. Living in West Marin since 1994, he worked for 8 years helping to start KWMR; for several years he was chairman of West Marin Commons, and spent two years as president of the Point Reyes Village Association. Find out more about The New School at tns.commonweal.org.

John Gouldthorpe Imagination Is Reality ~Part of the Archetypal Psychology Series~ Join Michael Lerner in his second conversation with archetypal psychologist John Gouldthorpe. John Gouldthorpe John has been immersed in the work of archetypal psychology for more than 20 years. In 1989, through the suggestion of James Hillman, he studied with Gordon Tappan at Sonoma State and then stayed on for several years to teach the graduate seminar in Archetypal Psychology. For many years John was a deep tissue massage therapist working with a clientele of psychologists influenced by Stanly Keleman followed by brief period as a clinical psychologist then onto working on the issue of understanding economic globalization and its structural antidote: localized economies. Living in West Marin since 1994, he worked for 8 years helping to start KWMR; for several years he was chairman of West Marin Commons, and spent two years as president of the Point Reyes Village Association. Find out more about The New School at tns.commonweal.org.

3 topics: Amy Trainer of the Environmental Action Committee of West Marin talks about the efforts to monitor the usage/compliance with the state marine protected areas that went into place. Dr. Pete Raimondi talks about the sea star wasting event happening on the entire western seaboard, and 2014's San Francisco International Ocean Film Festival highlights

Walter and Aggie Murch The Bird that Swallowed its Cage: The Selected Writings of Curzio Malaparte ~Co-presented by KWMR and Point Reyes Books~ Join us for a reading and conversation between Walter and Aggie Murch about Walter’s recently published book, The Bird that Swallowed its Cage: The Selected Writings of Curzio Malaparte. Walter Murch Working within the growing Bay Area film community, Murch settled his family in West Marin in 1972. Since that time Murch has been honored by both British and American Motion Picture Academies, winning BAFTA and Oscar awards and nominations for The Conversation, Apocalypse Now, The English Patient, Julia, and Cold Mountain. Murch wrote In the Blink of an Eye (2001), which has been translated into ten languages. The Bird that Swallowed its Cage (2012) is Murch’s selected translation of work by the Italian poet and novelist Curzio Malaparte (1899-1956). Between films, he pursues interests in the science of human perception, cosmology and the history of science. Muriel (Aggie) Murch Aggie graduated as a nurse in England in 1964 and obtained a BSN from San Francisco State in 1991. In 1965 she married Walter Scott Murch and from 1972 raised their four children on Blackberry Farm in Bolinas. She is a founder of of KWMR(FM) radio in West Marin, and author of Journey in the Middle of the Road, One Woman’s Journey through a Mid-Life Education. Muriel continues to write stories and poetry while working as an independent radio producer for KWMR. When not traveling with Walter, Aggie runs the small organic Blackberry Farm, which remains the Murch home Find out more about The New School at tns.commonweal.org.

Cam Trowbridge West Marin County and Marconi's Dream Around-the-World Wireless Network This presentation—followed by a conversation with The New School’s Kyra Epstein—held at the Point Reyes National Seashore’s Red Barn, focused on Guglielmo Marconi’s construction and operation of two wireless radio stations in Bolinas and Marshall between 1912 and 1919. Marconi’s ambitions and business acumen, the topic of his 2010 book, will be explained in relation to the sites near Bolinas and Marshall that could connect wirelessly with Hawaii. In 1916, service to Hawaii opened, and, through Hawaii, to Japan. In World War I, the U.S. Navy took over operation of stations owned by American Marconi, a subsidiary of British Marconi. In 1919, after World War I, the United States government, led by the U.S. Navy, forced British Marconi to sell American Marconi to General Electric and its subsidiary, the Radio Corporation of America, thereby ending Marconi’s participation in the California stations. Find out more about The New School at tns.commonweal.org.

Cheese. It comes in more than 2,000 varieties – hard, soft, fresh and aged - and it’s been with us for thousands of years. Take a journey to Cowgirl Creamery in West Marin to learn how artisan cheese is made and how scientists are putting cheese under the microscope to gain new insights about this incredible, edible food.

Spring is slow in West Marin so memories of early golfing years have to be enough.

Spring is slow in West Marin so memories of early golfing years have to be enough.

Sarah Hobson Working with Women in Sub-Sahran Africa When Sarah Hobson travels in the developing world and sees green hills, she wants to walk into them. She is drawn to peasant villages untouched by modern life. In the 1970s Sarah disguised herself as a boy and traveled through Iran alone. She wrote a book about it. As a documentarian, writer, and foundation director, Sarah has devoted herself to women in peasant communities around the world. Now executive director of the New Field Foundation, she is supporting village women in Sub-Saharan Africa in their quest for sustainable livelihoods. In this interview at The New School at Commonweal, Sarah talks with Michael Lerner about her adventures, her philanthropic strategy, and her efforts to balance family and work. Sarah Hobson Sarah is a writer, documentary film-maker, and foundation director. A West Marin resident, Hobson is author of Through Iran in Disguise and executive director of New Field Foundation, which supports rural women creating change in sub-Saharan Africa. Hobson previously served as executive director of International Development Exchange (IDEX), partnering with community organizations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America on grassroots economic development. She is founder and trustee of Open Channels, a British nonprofit working with indigenous peoples in Africa to define their lands, resources, and rights. Hobson is author, contributor and editor of eight books and producer of many documentaries for television. She is a mother and grandmother, with a strong sense of the critical issues facing the world today. Find out more about The New School at tns.commonweal.org.

Mike Witte, MD Fighting 'till the End? People with life-threatening illnesses often face the difficult decision of whether or not to continue active therapy. For some, the decision is, “Let’s fight till the end,” and they work with their doctors to receive treatment within days, or even hours, of their death. Others decide to put their effort toward the best possible quality of life, minimizing pain and suffering. But is this always a conscious decision? Without explicit instructions and/or an informed and caring dialog between patient and physician, patient and loved ones, and family and health professionals, the individual’s end-of-life wishes about medical care may go unknown or unheeded. Commonweal’s Susan Braun will explore this divide with Mike, creating a public space where questions of death and dying can be explored in safety and without judgment. Stories from the audience will be welcomed. Mike Witte, MD Mike has worked at the Coastal Health Alliance (CHA) since its beginnings in 1981, and is now medical director of the three sites in West Marin County. He has proudly watched CHA grow and develop into an exceptional center for family health care in West Marin. Find out more about The New School at tns.commonweal.org.

Meet the leaders and students of a Bay Watershed Education and Training Program (BWET) program happening amongst the wilds of West Marin. Hear students talk about their experiences out and about,learning about the coastal ecosystem.

Follow environmental artist Daniel McCormick as he creates temporary sculptures in the creek beds of West Marin. Original air date: May 2009.

Randall Arauz is a Costa Rican biologist with Programa Restauracion de Tortugas Marinas (PRETOMA), a Costa Rican non-profit which is a marine conservation and research organization working to protect ocean resources and promote sustainable fisheries policies in Costa Rica and Central America. Randall works in partnership with the Sea Turtle Restoration Network based out of West Marin, CA. Randall will discuss leatherback turtle conservation efforts and behind the scenes of shark finning.

Part 1/2: Hear from Melissa Miller-Henson, Program Manager of the MLPA, Stakeholder Group representatives, Irina Kogan, Resource Protection Specialist with Gulf of the Farallones NMS, Fred Smith with the Environmental Action Committee of West Marin, and Tom Baty, local subsistence fisherman. Learn about how the CA Marine Life Protection Act came to be, how its being carried out, how the stakeholder group has been working with other groups to create draft proposals, and how you can learn more about the process.

Part 2/2: Hear from Melissa Miller-Henson, Program Manager of the MLPA, Stakeholder Group representatives, Irina Kogan, Resource Protection Specialist with Gulf of the Farallones NMS, Fred Smith with the Environmental Action Committee of West Marin, and Tom Baty, local subsistence fisherman. Learn about how the CA Marine Life Protection Act came to be, how its being carried out, how the stakeholder group has been working with other groups to create draft proposals, and how you can learn more about the process.

Real estate prices in San Francisco are topping the charts. So, one would expect West Marin County, just across the gold Gate Bridge, to be populated by malls and big box stores. Instead, it remains an agricultural greenbelt of family farmers. How did this happen? Back in the days of horse-drawn wagons and hand milking, this area was nicknamed "Cow Heaven" by one early rancher. Remarkably, it has held on to this distinction to this day. In this edition of "Making Contact" we learn how West Marin was permanently preserved as farms and agricultural open space. The post Making Contact – April 21, 2006 appeared first on KPFA.