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Mama Earth Talk

Mama Earth Talk

By: Mariska Nell
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Summary
 What happens when you wear your own trash for 30 days? You start a podcast. Welcome to Mama Earth Talk—a podcast for eco-curious individuals and conscious businesses who want to make a real difference, live lighter on the planet, and do it all without the pressure to be perfect. I’m Mariska Nell, founder and host of Mama Earth Talk—a sustainability advocate, and passionate believer in progress over perfection. With a Master’s in Sustainable Design, postgraduate studies in Environmental Science, and years of hands-on experience, I’m here to help you take meaningful, heart-led action that works in real life. Mama Earth Talk shares an episode every second month packed with inspiring guest interviews, uplifting good news stories, and practical insights to keep you grounded and motivated. We also offer themed seasons, each diving deeper into specific topics like low-waste living, sustainable business, and planet-positive design—giving you the tools and inspiration to make real, lasting impact. Whether you're here to learn something new, feel inspired, or connect with a global community of changemakers—this space is for you. No guilt. No overwhelm. Just real talk, soulful progress, and hopeful stories—one small step at a time. Listen on your favorite podcast app—Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, or anywhere you tune in. You can also subscribe at https://mamaearthtalk.com/listen If something in the show speaks to you—or you know someone who’d love it—please share it and leave a review on Podchaser. https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/mama-earth-talk-713574 Got questions or just want to say hi? I’m always around on Instagram @mamaearthtalk Mama Earth has a voice—and it is us Crazy Birds. Instagram: @mamaearthtalk Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575371374179 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mamaearthtalk Website: https://mamaearthtalk.com/mamaearthtalk.com Earth Sciences Science
Episodes
  • 208: How to Grow Your Own Food in a Small Space with Christy Wilhelmi

    208: How to Grow Your Own Food in a Small Space with Christy Wilhelmi
    1 Sep 2026
    TL;DRIn this episode of the Mama Earth Talk podcast, host Mariska Nell talks with Christy Wilhelmi, founder of Gardenerd and author of five books, who grows 50–70% of her family’s produce in under 300 square feet using bio-intensive gardening. The big takeaway: healthy soil, not chemicals, gadgets, or acreage, is what makes growing your own food work.Have you ever wondered if you could actually grow your own food, even with a tiny backyard, a balcony, or barely any space at all? In this episode of the Mama Earth Talk podcast, host Mariska Nell talks with Christy Wilhelmi, founder of Gardenerd and author of five books, who grows 50-70% of her family's produce in under 300 square feet using bio-intensive gardening. The big takeaway: healthy soil - not chemicals, gadgets, or acreage - is what makes growing your own food work.IN THIS EPISODEMariska and Christy dig into how bio-intensive gardening grows serious amounts of food in tiny spaces, why you should lab-test your soil for heavy metals before planting in the ground, the truth about electric indoor "composters", and how community gardens build both food security and human connection. Christy also shares her journey from theatre graduate to top-ranked gardening podcaster, her Food Inc. 2 panel takeaways on fixing the food system, and her upcoming cozy mystery Bolting to Seed.KEY TAKEAWAYSBio-intensive gardening grows more food in less space with less water, land, and labour than conventional rows - it is how Christy grows 50-70% of her family's produce in under 300 square feet.- Before planting in the ground, get a lab soil test that includes heavy metals: beets, chard, and spinach can pull lead from contaminated soil into your food. A full test costs about $95 in the US, less near universities.- Electric indoor "composters" don't compost - they dehydrate scraps into "potpourri" with no microbial life, and rehydrating the output can attract pests.- Healthy, microbially rich soil prevents most pest and disease problems before they start - steward the soil and the garden largely takes care of itself.- The answer to "how do I kill this bug?" is an ecosystem: pollinator-friendly plants attract predator insects that control pests for you.- If you can't grow your own food, shopping at farmers markets and buying organic "puts your money where your mouth is" - demand shapes the food system.TIMESTAMPS[00:00] Could you grow your own food - even with barely any space?[02:45] Welcome, Christy Wilhelmi[03:01] Earth Day, 30+ years vegetarian, and how Christy's journey began[04:12] Building Gardenerd - and pitching a community-garden show to PBS SoCal[05:29] "One garden at a time": the antidote to climate hopelessness[07:15] Bio-intensive gardening: 50-70% of the family's produce in under 300 sq ft[09:15] Lead in the soil: why (and how) to test before you plant[11:21] "How do I kill this bug?" - building an ecosystem instead[13:30] Soil is your biggest investment[15:32] Food Inc. 2, the farm bill, and voting with your wallet[18:44] Can home gardens really move the needle?[20:06] 28 years in a community garden: what it teaches about people[21:37] The indoor composter myth ("it's potpourri, not compost")[25:02] Garden Variety and the new cozy mystery Bolting to Seed (out June 1)[29:42] The Final FiveABOUT CHRISTY WILHELMIChristy Wilhelmi is the founder of Gardenerd, the ultimate resource for garden nerds, and the author of five books including High-Yield Small-Space Organic Gardening and the novel Garden Variety. She grows 50-70% of her family's produce in less than 300 square feet, teaches organic gardening classes in California, and reaches gardeners worldwide through her top-ranked podcast and YouTube channel. Her new cozy mystery, Bolting to Seed, is out June 1 and available for pre-order.Website: gardenerd.com | Instagram & TikTok: @gardenerd1 | Facebook: gardenerd.comLINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONEDLiving Lighter - Mariska's free waste-reduction course: [INSERT LINK]- Gardenerd - blog, podcast, YouTube, classes: gardenerd.com- Bolting to Seed by Christy Wilhelmi (cozy mystery, out June 1 - pre-order at gardenerd.com)- Garden Variety by Christy Wilhelmi (novel)- Greg Peterson - Urban Farm U (fruit tree classes)- Kiss the Ground (Netflix documentary)- Food Inc. 2 (documentary)FAQCan you really grow your own food in a small space?Yes. According to Christy Wilhelmi on the Mama Earth Talk podcast, bio-intensive gardening - compact, efficient growing in raised beds - lets her grow 50-70% of her family's produce in under 300 square feet, using less water, land, and labour than conventional gardening.Should I test my soil before growing vegetables?If you're planting directly in the ground, yes. Lab soil tests reveal heavy metals like lead, which crops such as beets, chard, and spinach can draw into your food. A comprehensive test costs about $95 in the US. Raised beds with clean soil are the alternative.Do indoor electric composters actually work?No. They dehydrate food...
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    34 min
  • 207: Why Table Salt Isn’t Real Salt (And the Desert Salt That Is) with Samantha Skyring

    207: Why Table Salt Isn’t Real Salt (And the Desert Salt That Is) with Samantha Skyring
    6 Jul 2026
    TL;DRIn this episode, we talk to Samantha Skyring, founder of Oryx Desert Salt. She grew up in South Africa, built and sold an aviation refurbishment business by 21, ran a kayaking expedition company on Lake Malawi, and eventually sold her house to buy 34 tons of Kalahari Desert salt with no business plan, just conviction. Today Oryx Desert Salt is stocked in Whole Foods, Amazon, and retailers across South Africa, and its ceramic "refill, not landfill" grinders have saved over 1.2 million bottles from landfill in a single year.During This EpisodeHow Samantha's early jobs, a family business, and a Lake Malawi kayaking expedition shaped her entrepreneurial instinctsA close encounter with a wild oryx in the Namib Desert, and how it became the seed and the logo of her salt brandThe moment she sold her house to buy 34 tons of Kalahari Desert saltWhy most table salt is stripped, bleached, and mixed with anti-caking agents (and sometimes sugar)How ocean pollution, microplastics, and pharmaceutical residue are showing up in sea saltInside the 300 million year old Kalahari aquifer and the four week, sun dried, lunar cycle crystallization processWhy Oryx uses ceramic grinders instead of plastic, and how "refill, not landfill" saved 1.2 million+ bottles from landfill last yearThe real science on sodium: hydration, heart health, sleep, energy, and how much salt you actually needPacking salt on a borrowed dining table after leaving an abusive relationship, and the early wins that kept her goingHow gratitude, conviction, and networking helped Oryx Desert Salt land in Whole Foods and go globalHer advice for anyone building a mission-driven, sustainable businessTimestamps to relevant points within the episode, use this format:[00:00]-Intro[00:00] - Intro (hook, free course announcement, welcome, and guest introduction)[02:39] - Samantha's origin story[04:49] - Lake Malawi kayaking expedition[05:41] - London and the 13-year relationship ending[06:50] - The Namib Desert oryx encounter[09:00] - Selling her house for 34 tons of salt[11:34] - Why table salt isn't real salt[12:53] - Ocean pollution in sea salt[14:35] - Inside the Kalahari aquifer[15:28] - Four-week crystallization process[16:21] - Water memory research[18:45] - Ceramic vs. plastic grinders[19:38] - Refill, not landfill[20:44] - Choosing impact over "good business sense"[23:21] - The travel shaker story[26:35] - Busting salt myths[29:35] - Why the body needs salt[30:29] - Salt, energy, and brain function[32:29] - How much salt you need[33:58] - Salt and sleep[35:11] - Packing salt on a dining table[36:32] - Early wins with top chefs[39:23] - The 10 rand note and the billboard[42:41] - Going global[44:49] - Networking into Whole Foods[46:23] - Advice to her younger self[48:53] - September announcement[49:50] - How to support sustainable businesses[52:49] - Her most important Mama Earth decision[56:04] - Final Five[58:24] - Closing thoughts and CTALinks from the episodes:Oryx Desert Salt, available via madeinrsa.com (ships worldwide from South Africa in 3 days via DHL)Oryx Desert Salt at Whole Foods and Amazon (USA)Oryx Desert Salt Shopify siteOdyssey Magazine (South Africa)"The Salt Fix" by Dr. James DiNicolantonioSarah Gottfried's Hormone Reset DietVeda Austin's water memory research (New Zealand)Dr. Masaru Emoto's water crystal researchWhere can people find our guest?LinkedIn, Samantha's primary platform for sharing her entrepreneurial journeymadeinrsa.com, for worldwide Oryx Desert Salt ordersWhole Foods and Amazon (USA)Checkers, Food Lover's Market, Woolworths, Pick n Pay, and Spar (South Africa)Key Takeaways:Not all salt is created equal. Much of what's sold as table salt is stripped of minerals, heated, sometimes bleached, and often contains anti-caking agents or sugarMost sea salt today has been found to contain microplastics and pharmaceutical residue because of ocean pollutionOryx Desert Salt comes from a 300 million year old aquifer under the Kalahari Desert and crystallizes naturally over a four week lunar cycleCeramic grinders and a "refill, not landfill" model saved over 1.2 million bottles and grinder heads from landfill last yearSodium is essential for heart function, hydration, brain function, and sleep. Real world needs may be higher than the standard low sodium advice many people hearBuilding a mission-driven business often means choosing long-term impact over the safest short-term business decisionConviction, networking, and gratitude played as big a role in Oryx's growth as any formal business planSupport sustainable brands by reading ingredient labels, choosing simplicity, and being mindful of where your products come fromFAQWhy is table salt considered "not real salt"?Table salt is typically stripped of its natural minerals, heated (and sometimes bleached), and treated with anti-caking or free flow chemicals so it pours easily. Some brands even add sugar to offset the taste of those chemicals, which is why Samantha Skyring calls it a ...
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • 206: Solving the Global Water Crisis for Just 30 Cents with Kurt Avery

    206: Solving the Global Water Crisis for Just 30 Cents with Kurt Avery
    4 May 2026

    In this episode, we talk to Kurt Avery. He is the owner and founder of Sawyer Products and someone who has dedicated his life to solving one of the world’s most urgent challenges, access to clean water, through innovation, partnerships, and a business model that gives back by donating 90% of their profits in a truly powerful way.

    During this episode, we explore the global water crisis and how one simple innovation is transforming millions of lives. Kurt Avery, shares how his company is tackling access to clean water through groundbreaking filtration technology, partnerships with global organizations, and a unique business model that donates the majority of its profits.

    Timestamps to relevant points within the episode, use this format:

    [00:00] -Intro

    [02:19] – Meet Kurt Avery & the story behind Sawyer Products

    [03:31] – From snakebite kits to water filtration innovation

    [05:15] – The Haiti earthquake & global breakthrough moment

    [06:30] – Real stories showing the urgency of the water crisis

    [09:47] – Reaching 40 million people with clean water

    [10:56] – Biggest barrier: funding & scaling impact

    [13:16] – Why solving the water crisis is actually possible

    [14:12] – How the filtration technology works

    [18:29] – Partnerships with 140+ global organizations

    [20:50] – The 90% profit donation model explained

    [23:31] – New innovation: malaria-preventing baby wraps

    [27:32] – Environmental impact & sustainability benefits

    [31:01] – Scaling impact through schools and communities

    [31:22] – 23 years of struggle before success

    [32:39] – Advice for impact-driven entrepreneurs

    [36:30] – Final 5

    Links from the episodes:

    Sawyer Products

    Kurt Avery’s book: Sawyer Think

    Sawyer Foundation

    Living Lighter, A Practical Guide to Reducing Waste - Online Course by Mariska Nell

    Download your Free Beginner's Guide To Waste-Free Living

    Join our newsletter to be part of the change

    Watch the interview on YouTube

    Where can people find our guest?

    Website

    Facebook

    Instagram

    TikTok

    Key Takeaways:
    • Clean water access impacts health, education, income, and environment
    • Sawyer filters can last 10–20 years and serve entire communities
    • The company has helped 40+ million people globally
    • Their model donates 90%+ of profits to humanitarian work
    • Solving the water crisis is financially and technologically achievable today
    • Sustainability isn’t just environmental, it’s human survival and dignity

    "Kurt finds hope in the fact that solving the global water crisis could cost as little as 30 cents per person for 10 years of clean water. With scalable technology and growing awareness, we are closer than ever to making universal access a reality."
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    47 min
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