The Truth About our Skies with Ariana Victor of Just Look Up

The Truth About our Skies with Ariana Victor of Just Look Up

In this episode of Return to Nature, Melissa interviews Ariana Victor, an investigative filmmaker and truth-seeker devoted to exposing the hidden forces impacting public health, the environment, and human freedom. With a background in documentary storytelling, she interweaves her love of research and compelling narratives to topics often ignored or censored. Her current film Just Look Up dives into the urgent and controversial issue of geoengineering, uncovering its impact on our bodies, ecosystems, and skies. Ariana's mission is to spark awakening through courageous storytelling that doesn't just inform, but ignites conversation, challenges narratives, and inspires people to reclaim their power and think for themselves. Ariana Shares: * How the book Whitewash by Carey Gillam ignited her passion for covering the glyphosate legal battles in Washington and the information she learned about the corruption of the organizations meant to protect us * The vision that led her to move to Sedona, Arizona and begin a five year journey to investigate geoengineering * Cutting through the misinformation to understand the truths of this subject * The origin of the term “conspiracy theory” * Why it’s so hard to pinpoint who is behind geoengineering * The definition of geoengineering * How cloud seeding works * How stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) works * The official government documents proving this technology exists and is being utilized * How weather modification began as military technology and the environmental modification treaty that incentivized the transition from wartime technology to a public service * The fourth Industrial Revolution we are currently living through * What the HAARP research facility in Alaska was used for and its capabilities * The importance of getting in touch with your own truth amidst all the noise * The encouraging number of people and states who are actively fighting for legislation around geoengineering projects * How awareness is key for a subject like this to be accepted as more than just conspiracy theory * Learn more about the attorneys legally fighting geoengineeringa at https://thegeofight.com/ * The importance of healing and balancing the body on an individual level as a form of fighting geoengineering * Other ways to support the people fighting geoengineering, even if it’s not your calling * How this is a bipartisan issue that has been politicized You can connect with Ariana through Just Look Up: Website: www.justlookupfilm.com [https://www.justlookupfilm.com/] Instagram: @justlookupofficial [https://www.instagram.com/justlookupofficial/] Instagram: @arianavictorfilm [https://www.instagram.com/arianavictorfilm/] Intro/Outro Music by Ken Belcher [https://kenbelcher.com/] Sound mix by Andrew Pals [https://a180msound.wixsite.com/a180msound]

Returning to Raw: Boutique Dairy Farming with Jen Craddick of Lovenwater Farm

In this episode of Return to Nature, Melissa interviews Jen Craddick, a multi-sector entrepreneur, former petroleum industry professional, and a founder devoted to restoring traditional food systems while strengthening family centered farm life. Based in Kalispell, Montana, Jen operates Lovenwater Farm, a small agricultural enterprise focused on upscale, boutique style dairy production, livestock stewardship, and organically cultivated produce and flowers. Before moving to Montana and expanding Lovenwater Farm, Jen worked within multiple divisions of the oil fields in Western North Dakota. This background gives her a unique perspective, combining technical precision and practical knowledge. Jen’s work centers on offering the highest quality, nutrient dense foods using old world methods. The entire vision of Lovenwater farm is centered on a commitment to transparency, stewardship, and regenerative practices. Above all, Jen’s primary purpose and guiding role is serving others. Her work on the farm and business is rooted in building a stable, meaningful life not only for her own family but for many other families in the community. Sharing hard learned and gritty lessons she is preserving a legacy of independence and connection to the land. She views farming not only as an occupation, but as a calling that supports all future generations. Jen Shares: * How she and her husband moved to North Dakota for jobs in the petroleum industry * The poor soil conditions at her property in North Dakota that led her to starting Lovenwater farm * Her high performance mentality that ultimately showed her that she wanted to step back from corporate life * The pull many women have felt to be at home with their children, but also still be a provider and how she bridged that gap for herself * The financial and regulatory realities of being a dairy farmer * How and why she got into dairy farming when she moved to Montana  * Why raw milk became seen as dangerous to our health * All about pasteurization and homogenization of milk * They importance of localization in farming * The regulations surrounding raw milk in Montana  * The health and life of a Lovenwater farm cow  * The specifics of raising Jersey cows * How different types of cheese came about based on different regions, soils, and grasses * The importance of eating regionally  * How she reversed her lactose-intolerance with raw milk You can connect with Jen via Lovenwater Farm: Website: www.lovenwaterfarm.com [https://lovenwaterfarm.com/] Instagram: @lovenwaterfarm [https://www.instagram.com/lovenwaterfarm] Facebook: @lovenwaterfarm [https://www.facebook.com/LovenwaterFarm/] Intro/Outro Music by Ken Belcher [https://www.kenbelcher.com/]

Generational Farming with Will Harris of White Oak Pastures

In this episode of Return to Nature, Melissa interviews Will Harris, the owner of White Oak Pastures, a holistically managed regenerative ranch and farm in Bluffton, Georgia. Will is a fourth-generation cattleman, who tends the same land that his great-grandfather settled in 1866. Born and raised at White Oak Pastures, Will left home to attend the University of Georgia's School of Agriculture, where he was trained in the industrial farming methods that had taken hold after World War II. Will graduated in 1976 and returned to Bluffton, where he and his father continued to raise cattle using pesticides, herbicides, hormones, and antibiotics. They also fed their herd a high-carbohydrate diet of corn and soy. These tools did a fantastic job of taking the cost out of the system, but in the mid-1990s, Will became disenchanted with the excesses of these industrialized methods. In 1995, Will made the audacious decision to return to the farming methods his great-grandfather had used 130 years before. Since Will has successfully implemented these changes, he has been recognized all over the world as a leader in humane animal husbandry and environmental sustainability.  Will is the immediate past President of the Board of Directors of Georgia Organics. He is the Beef Director of the American Grassfed Association and was selected 2011 Business Person of the year for Georgia by the Small Business Administration. He is also the author of A Bold Return to Giving A Damn, a memoir-meets-manifesto on betting the farm on a better future for our food, animals, land, local communities and our planet. Will Shares: * How his great grandfather and grandfather ran the farm and how his father transitioned to industrial practices * How he was raised and educated to believe that there was nothing wrong with industrial farming practices  * His observation of the quality of his farm’s dirt versus the untouched soil in the woods  * The reason his daughters have chosen to come back to the farm and work at White Oak Pastures  * The unintended consequences of industrial agriculture and taking cost out of production  * How transferring from industrial to regenerative is a long term process  * The importance of allowing animals to express their instinctive behaviors  * The resiliency of regenerative agriculture versus the efficiency of industrial agriculture  * How label regulations can affect farmer’s profitability * The pandemic’s role in their creation of White Oak Pasture’s new distribution avenue: online orders * The right amount of growth for a regenerative farming operation to make sure short term profitability is not the main focus, but rather generational profitability  * White Oak Pasture’s non-profit, which helps educate people on their regenerative practices * How the government could be instrumental in making a national shift to regenerative agriculture  * Why the shift to regenerative will most likely happen outside of the existing industrial model You can connect with Will through White Oak Pastures: Website: www.whiteoakpastures.com [https://whiteoakpastures.com/] Instagram: @whiteoakpastures [https://www.instagram.com/whiteoakpastures/] Facebook: @whiteoakpastures [https://www.facebook.com/whiteoakpastures] Intro/Outro music by Ken Belcher [https://www.kenbelcher.com/] Sound Mixing by Andrew Pals [https://a180msound.wixsite.com/a180msound]

20. A New Model of Ranching with Cole Mannix of Old Salt Co-op

In this episode of Return to Nature, Melissa interviews Cole Mannix, the president and co-founder of Old Salt Co-op. As fifth generation of the Mannix family, his love for people, ranching, and land stewardship is deep rooted in Montana. Though his schooling and professional life have taken him many places beyond the ranch, his heart remains devoted to the cause of bringing people together around a love for life and all of its beautiful diversity. He founded the Old Salt Festival, a food & music celebration of Montana land stewardship hosted on the Mannix Family Ranch in Helmville, MT, bringing together wood-fired cooking, Americana musicians, Montana ranchers, and Western makers to celebrate in high Montana style. Cole Shares: * The deep history the Mannix Family shares with their Ranch in Helmville, Montana * How his time away from the ranch got him interested in the distribution side of the operation * How the Salt of the Earth Rancher’s Cooperative was started and why it evolved * The problem with food labels  * The issues with policy change when it comes to agriculture * How the Old Salt Co-op came to be  * The necessity of making an entirely new system versus just trying to change production of meat * The importance of broadening our idea of success and wealth  * Why and how producers should have ownership in distribution avenues * The fallacy of failure when it comes to regenerative ranching and truly healing the soil * Having an organic mindset even when you have to rely on conventional methods  * How familiarity with the process can build trust for a product * How labels and certifications can be true but not meaningful You can connect with Cole through Old Salt: Website: www.oldsaltco-op.com [https://www.oldsaltco-op.com/] Instagram: @oldsaltcoop [https://www.instagram.com/oldsaltcoop] Instagram: @oldsaltfestival [https://www.instagram.com/oldsaltfestival/] Intro/Outro music by Ken Belcher [https://www.kenbelcher.com/]

19. The Hidden Toxins in Our Clothing with Jeff Garner of Prophetik

In this episode of Return to Nature, Melissa interviews eco fashion designer and filmmaker Jeff Garner. He and his sustainable label Prophetik are on a path of transformation, leading the evolution of fashion and changing our perception of luxury by creating sustainable, plant-based fashion. Born in the Civil War town of Franklin, Tennessee, and raised on a horse farm, Garner grew with a connectedness to nature and a peaceful understanding of the world. His ultimate vision is to bring awareness to the toxins found in commercial synthetic fashion and the health implications to the human body to allow everyone the power of choice. His documentary, Let Them Be Naked, exposes the hidden dangers of toxic chemicals found in everyday clothing and reveals the devastating health impacts of these unregulated substances, shedding light on their role in chronic diseases such as cancer. The film advocates for a radical reimagining of garment production, highlighting how the choices we make as consumers affect both our health and the planet. Jeff Shares: * How he got his start in fashion dressing his musician friends for their bands * The importance of practical education through learning on the job * The dichotomy of growing up wearing handmade clothing with natural materials versus the synthetic materials he had to work with in his early career interning for mainstream fashion brands * How natural fibers used to be the norm and his mission to convert us back to that so price points go down  * How synthetic fibers are made to look and feel like natural fibers  * The factors playing in to why more people aren’t buying natural, from economic to educational * The policy change necessary to regulate the fashion industry and make materials more transparent  * The lack of accountability for fashion conglomerates versus small designers actually creating their clothing  * How fashion conglomerates can start phasing in non-toxic, natural clothing without sacrificing the rest of their inventory * The hidden products used on what would otherwise be organic clothing * How the end clothing products need to be tested before reaching consumers  * A participatory model of fashion where people buy undyed clothing and dye it naturally, throughout the years changing its color to reinvigorate it * The best way to get rid of plastic-based clothing  * The component of consumer education that is needed to bridge the gap between what is seen as a quality product versus natural  * The issues with certifications supposedly regulating materials and manufacturing processes  You can connect with Jeff through Prophetik and Let Them Be Naked: Website: www.prophetik.com [http://www.prophetik.com] Website: www.letthembenaked.com [http://www.letthembenaked.com] Instagram: @prophetik  [⁠https://www.instagram.com/prophetik⁠] Instagram: @letthembenaked [⁠https://www.instagram.com/letthembenaked/⁠] Facebook: @prophetik [https://www.facebook.com/prophetik/⁠] Sound Mix by Andrew Pals [⁠https://a180msound.wixsite.com/a180msound⁠] Intro/Outro by Ken Belcher [⁠https://www.kenbelcher.com/⁠]