Merci To Our Sponsors For This Episode!

Toups & Co

With our skin being our largest organ and the gateway right into our body, our skincare products should be made with wholesome, clean and recognizable ingredients.

Toups & Co’s entire skincare and makeup line is 100% natural and uses only organic ingredients like 100% grass-fed tallow, cold-pressed organic olive oil, and organic essential oils. Each product has been formulated to maximize skin-nourishing benefits and your safety. They never use synthetic chemicals, GMOs, toxins, fillers, artificial colors or fragrances.

They are a husband and wife team that believes it’s not good enough for you until it’s good enough for their own family. They also support small, family owned farms who are sustainable, fair trade, transparent and ethical.

Get 10% off your first order with the discount code – ‘REVE+TOUPS10’

What Is Homesteading

As this notion becomes more and more popular, we were so thrilled to be able to join Gaz in person at Bloom Farm, where they are practicing regenerative agriculture, natured based education and in person connectivity. Thank you so much for Bloom Farm for generously hosting us all and we encourage you to go check them out yourselves!

About Gaz:

Gaz Oakley is classically trained chef originating from Cardiff, Wales. Gaz developed a passion for cooking at an early age, influenced by his father’s culinary skills. By the age of 15, he was already working in professional kitchens, gaining valuable experience and honing his craft. After many years working in top restaurants & a sabbatical from the industry and a few health issues, he made a big change to adopt a plant based lifestyle. With this new lifestyle, his passion for cooking exploded again. In 2016, Gaz launched a YouTube channel sharing his stories through food. Since then he’s reached over 1.6 million subscribers, made a series in Wales, Mexico & Jamaica & written 3 best selling cookbooks. 

During the covid lockdowns, Oakley transitioned from living in London to a homestead in the Welsh countryside which has had a profound effect on his whole philosophy & outlook on food & life in general. Motivated by his desire to connect more deeply with the food he prepares and to promote self-sufficiency, now his practicing homesteading with his partner Tiegan Mae and new daughter. In the countryside, Gaz has dedicated himself to growing his own food, embracing the principles of organic farming and permaculture, even adopting some rescued chickens all with the goal of encouraging his audience to become a little more self sufficient & reap the many benefits of growing your own. 

The hands-on approach to growing food has allowed Gaz to develop even more innovative and seasonal recipes, reflecting the bounty of his garden. He often shares the improvements he notices in his all round physical & mental health thanks to the wonders of being at one with nature.

Merci To This Episode’s Sponsor Mill!

Mill is your kitchen’s new best friend. A simple, odor-free food recycler that  turns leftovers and scraps into nutrient-rich grounds with no effort. Mill prevents food waste without smells, flies, or chores. It works while you sleep and you can keep filling it for weeks.

You can use the grounds in your garden, add them to your curbside compost, or let Mill pick them up and deliver them to a small farm for you. Try it risk-free and get $75 off at mill.com/rev.

Learn More About Mill

Merci To Our Sponsor For This Episode!

The REV team has been mushroom obsessed for a long time and DIRTEA creates mushroom infused wellness products that are thoughtfully formulated for the best result. We are such a busy team and always looking for the healthiest way to keep our energy levels naturally high throughout the day without the usual jitters from too many cups of coffee. We stumbled upon DIRTEA’s Mushroom Coffee and absolutely fell in love! It gives you that perfect energy boost without the dreaded crash, plus it strengthens your immune system, sharpens your focus, and helps you sleep like a dream.

It’s no secret anymore that you can get incredible health benefits by harnessing the power of mushrooms. Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners have used it for centuries. Did you know every breath we take, we actually inhale mushroom spores? DIRTEA has done rigorous testing and development to provide the purest form of mushroom drinks to support your sleep, focus and overall well being.  Their newest blend that you have to try is their DIRTEA Matcha. If you start your morning with DIRTEA Matcha, you can truly experience all-day calm energy and heightened focus. Not to mention it tastes incredible as well. Serve hot or on ice during the summer months for a refreshing treat.

For a limited time our listeners get an exclusive 10% OFF offer! Just head to dirtea.com and use the code ‘REV10’ to get 10% off your first order.

Merci To Our Sponsors For This Episode!

Meet Obakki, a purpose-led lifestyle brand that has curated the most beautiful and meaningful handcrafted goods for your home. Their artisan partners are more like family as their connection is so personal—their maker’s quality of life and ability to sustain themselves and their communities is Obakki’s top priority. They believe in slow design and knowing the origin of the products they buy and the true impact of their consumption – for the environment and for the sake of the individuals that make the things they buy. From homewares created in partnership with like-minded co-ops to goods sourced from global artisans who share Obakki’s ethos, every product reflects their values of ethical production, transparency, sustainability, and traceability.

Read about their inspirational founder, Treana Peake here.

Use the code ‘REV15’ to get 15% off Obakki!

Whether you’re getting ready for a baby or looking for gifts for a new mom, Milky Oat‘s postpartum service offers amazing and organic nourishment for new moms (and parents!) They currently service the San Francisco Bay area and Los Angeles. So if you are California based you are in luck. They provide many different options. Their six week plan has you covered for the first 42 days of motherhood and recovery. So you can focus on rest and time with your bundle of joy. They also have botanical ghee and an array of thoughtfully formulated tinctures in their mother’s pantry. These are available nationwide so you can still enjoy their support in any state.

Read more about their service and their founder, Sydney Bliss here.

About Kindred Motorworks

Kindred Motorworks’  electric car conversions blend vintage charm with modern reliability and performance. At their design center on Mare Island in Vallejo, California, they spend a lot of time on each Kindred model. They test and review many design options. These choices affect performance and reliability. At Kindred, they believe EVs offer better reliability and lower maintenance. They also see EVs as more sustainable. As a result, vintage cars can be superior to the originals.

Merci To Our Sponsor For This Episode!

Homecourt

Homecourt was created by Courtney Cox in the belief that the household products we use each day should not only look and smell beautiful, but also should be safe for people, pets, and the planet.

Homecourt works with all Non-toxic formulas with skincare-grade ingredients that are always vegan and cruelty-free. They use sustainable, plant-derived, and upcycled ingredients across their collection. They develop formulas with responsibly sourced raw materials and skincare-grade ingredients that meet strict industry standards for clean beauty. We love their “absolutely not” list of chemicals and ingredients they do not work with that are listed on their site – they are all things we at REV would never work with either!

And when it comes to packaging, everything from their bottles to their boxes are made with 100% post-consumer recycled materials.

Learn more about this amazing line that has everything from hand creams to candles, and has just launched eco-friendly refills to boot on their site –  homecourt.co!

Today I am so excited to bring with you a conversation about eating for body and skin health. Whitney Tingle, is the co-founder of Sakara Life. A service which brings healthy, organic, plant-rich, food right to your front door. She discusses beauty from within, and purpose led business.

I have long been a fan of Sakara. Their huge efforts towards sustainable food production is inspiring. They care deeply about education around nutrition. Preventative approaches to healthcare, and all round well-being of their clients is top of their priority list.

– Cora Hilts, REV CEO

Thank you to our sponsor, Terra Kaffe!

Founded to be a solution for the conscious coffee consumer, Terra Kaffe is a completely capsule-free answer to the pod-coffee crisis and allows you to use waste free, organic beans which I love as you can tailor and brew your own beverage in the comfort of your kitchen. Since 2018, Terra Kaffe has been bringing the spirit of the coffee shop to the homes of sustainability-minded coffee lovers around the US. They are the makers of TK-01, a completely transformative super automatic espresso machine that puts meaningful morning rituals back into focus. Conceived around the best parts of leisurely European coffee culture and design, TK-01 helps elevate the time we spend at home by enabling a more mindful coffee experience. You can learn more at terrakaffe.com/REV

Reve En Vert listeners can get an exclusive $75 off TK-01 for a limited time when they visit terrakaffe.com/REV and use the code REVONAIR at checkout.

This episode with Nat Kelley is brought to you by our friends at Redmint.

Redmint weaves together the ancient wisdom of Traditional Chinese Medicine with modern innovations. To create powerful health rituals that form well rounded selfcare routines. They understand the crucial connection between skin health and internal health. That’s why they created exceptional skincare and bodycare collections packed with potent botanicals. Well known in ancient herbology TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) books.

Helina Fan, a doctor of TCM, who founded Redmint, struggled with health issues for years before turning to a more holistic solution. Through this she discovered the power of Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture, herbal medicine, and skincare topicals. For our lucky listeners in Northern Californian, Redmint has beautiful spas in San Francisco, that are truly urban sanctuaries. Somewhere you can retreat to for a well rounded approach to wellbeing, from facials to acupuncture to bodywork to their herbal bar, where they have all sorts of herbal elixirs. Head to Redmint.com to shop their amazing topical range and to find out more about their San Francisco Wellness locations.

About Black Men With Gardens:

Black Men With Gardens is a digital platform founded by Nelson ZêPequéno in 2017 which highlights the powerful stories of Black men connecting to nature through agriculture and art resulting in a community of over 150,000+ supporters.

With a background in entertainment & event tech, Nelson ZêPequéno has always viewed creative production as an avenue for exploration. Honing his creative practice as a production designer, he now works with companies and nonprofits to design, build and install art, activations and events.

Nelson’s current creative practice weaves together art, culture & community as he facilitates workshops, provides a unique perspective on sustainability through public speaking engagements and project management as a creative producer.

Merci To Our Sponsor For This Episode!

Wilder Botanics

Wilder Botanics is inspired by co-founder Rachel Landon’s 20 years of clinical practice as a naturopath and herbalist and her husband Charlie’s deep-rooted curiosity and love of naturally derived formulations. Wilder is unique in intention, using centuries old naturopathic techniques of infusing, macerating, drying, and tincturing, keeping the methods and stories alive for generations. Their products are created from 100% natural, organic and careful wild crafted herbal ingredients. Shop Wilder on Rêve En Vert!

Antipodean Home Regenerative Bedding

Antipodean Home is a regenerative organic bedding brand born out of New Zealand. They think a naturally healthy home is the foundation for a healthier, happier life. Antipodean works with regenerative cotton, wool, and other materials that come from climate-positive farms with revitalized soil to help remove and absorb excess carbon from the atmosphere. Their farmers use low-impact, regenerative methods that are free from harmful chemicals and pesticides to enhance the land’s natural functions.

Masaya Accent Chair

Masaya is my new sustainable furniture obsession with their incredible seed to seat ethos. After several years of establishing tree farms on deforested cow pastures, Maderas Sostenibles founded a production facility in Managua to fabricate furniture and wood products that continuously capture carbon in our everyday lives through furniture. Inspired by the artisanal nature of Masaya and the rich culture and nature found in Nicaragua, MasayaCo was born. Every design is handmade from renewable solid wood. We plant hundreds of thousands of trees each year. By annually planting more trees than they harvest, a replenishing cycle is established providing both environmental and economic benefits. So far, their designs have planted over 1.2 million trees. We love their accent chairs for a cozy addition to a sustainable guest room!

Avocado Mattress

This mattress is so incredible that after we received one for our own master bedroom, we knew we had to share the experience with guests in the hope that they might want to discover nontoxic mattresses themselves!

Color Co Blinds

My husband and I are so obsessed with these blinds that we have put them in every room of our house pretty much now! These blinds are all plant based and made from ethically sourced and easily renewable bamboo. They are also incredibly well made and unlike so many blinds can really hold up to usage from guests wanting to get a bit of shade in!

Medley Bed & Side Tables

These ethically built pieces are a dream come true for me – I have always wanted a white boucle bed and one made with all natural materials and sustainably sourced wood is the perfect solution. I would take their whole selection and you can find them here! 

If you want to see more about how I used Medley in our guest room and other decor ideas for that, you can explore my favorites here!

Alkemis Wellness Paint

Alkemis Paint® provides interior designers, architects, developers, hospitality and healthcare industries, contractors, DIY home improvers and wellness advocates—and their residential and commercial spaces—with a premium, all-natural interior mineral paint made from artist-quality crystalline pigments that promote both human wellness and environmental consciousness.

As one of the only Cradle to Cradle Certified® paints in North America, Alkemis eschews environmentally harmful synthetics and toxic pollutants typical of conventional paint brands. Alkemis is ethically produced to help customers breathe easier and live more harmoniously, while harnessing the healing power of natural pigments and crystals.

If you want to learn more about Alkemis, I did a podcast episode with the founders HERE!

And here is a full round up of all my other favorite low VOC paints that we have used around the farmhouse.

Citizenry Rug

We have been adamant about wanting to work with independent brands that honour the makers and craftspeople and The Citizenry is great for that. They are 100% Fair Trade and a member of the WFTO. This rug was made in Mexico and I love that it is made from all natural wool.

Salt Farm Flowers

I truly don’t think you can do anything more lovely for your guests than having fresh flowers in the summer months….I am trying very hard to only have seasonal and local flowers in the house and have been thrilled to find a sustainable flower grower only 20 minutes away from us. So I have been making sure to support them whenever I want to include a beautiful and welcoming bouquet for our guests!

Follow along the day to day journey @corahilts on instagram! 

Explore Medley Home sustainable furniture! 

More Maine House content!

We started this Spring to sit back and watch the results of allowing nature to do it’s thing, and the results have been more amazing than we could have imagined. 

So why is this a good idea in terms of sustainability?

1.Food for Bees. 

Well first of all let’s start with our pollinators – bees are intrinsic to food production and life as we know it. However, bees are now facing catastrophic declines. In North America, nearly one in four native bee species is imperiled, according to the Center for Biological Diversity, partly because of habitat loss, pesticide use, climate change and urbanization. Lawns typically provide poor habitat for bees. But if allowed to flower, lawn weeds — perhaps better characterized as plants other than grass — can provide rare spring food for bees emerging from hibernation. (NY Times).

Also, if you want to focus solely on how to create a bee friendly garden, we have a guide for that HERE!

2. Supports biodiversity

We are losing biodiversity and species at an amazing rate, and whilst we often look towards more mainstream and large animals, we also need to look at smaller species and organisms as all being intrinsic to the working of nature and planetary health. “Many different groups are important for providing essential ecosystem services. In order for nature to continue ‘working’ reliably for us, we therefore need to protect biodiversity at all levels in the food chain, including in often overlooked groups such as microbes or insects,” says co-author Eric Allan, an ecologist at Germany’s University of Bern. The wonderful thing about our meadow has been seeing the amazing amount of insects, birds, butterflies, etc. come back to it. Even foxes and eagles now come to the wildflower meadow to feed. Just our small plot has become a haven for biodiversity and shown us just how powerful a difference we can make just as one couple with one home.

3. Avoids fuel for mowers and water during droughts. 

As MNN’s Starre Vartan wrote last year, about 40.5 million acres of lawns exist in the U.S. alone, which is more than double the size of the country’s largest national forest. Mowing a lawn takes time and money, both for buying a mower and then keeping it fueled. Many lawns also need to be irrigated, which can tax water supplies during droughts. Synthetic fertilizers and herbicides wash into local watersheds, potentially causing even bigger problems downstream. And on top of all that, a patch of clipped, homogenous grass does not support very much biodiversity. Leaving even a half or a quarter of your lawn to flower could make a huge dent on your environmental impact as a homeowner. 

There are so many other reasons we have loved creating a wildflower meadow – it looks beautiful, it looks natural, and every day we seem to discover some new native flower popping up that delights us. But if you are feeling hesitant still, this is one of my favorite quotes from organic gardener Alys Fowler on how wonderful it could be:  “Your lawn is already a wildflower meadow – every inch of soil is waiting for its moment to burst forth. Those weeds are some of the best insect food, growing despite the weather, endlessly repeat blooming, rich in nectar and pollen. A seed bank is already there – it might even contain orchids. Oh, and perhaps plenty of moss, essential stuff for nests and nature of all sorts.”

Also, please remember that you do not need acres and acres of countryside to rewild or plant a bit of meadow! When we lived in London we had a tiny patch of outdoor space and I planted native flowers in planters, and did a seed bomb day around Hackney (see Lily Kwong’s Freedom Gardens account for inspiration here – https://www.instagram.com/freedom_gardens/ ).

Everyone can make a difference with just a few seeds so please remember that!

How to start a wildflower meadow

My favorite way to do this is using American Meadows seeds, which has a great selection of native seeds that you can choose according to where you live.

Step one – simply clear a patch of lawn or grass that you would like to convert to meadow. I love to do this by laying down cardboard for a couple of weeks to kill off the grass underneath, and then spreading a nice layer of compost on top. You can learn more about how to create a no till garden here!

Step two – sprinkle your seeds on top of the compost and then water in.

Step three – make sure the seeds remain watered until they begin to sprout.

Step four – keep adding to your wildflower meadow area until you are happy with the results!

If you want more inspiration on doing some nature based gardening, my podcast conversation with Molly of ORCA Living is a great listen!

Follow along the day to day journey @corahilts on instagram! 

Explore more Maine House content here!