Jonathan Clay built The Kalos Project to close Houston's local food gap using permaculture design. The same principles guide how he leads his team.

In this episode of Land Language, hosts Brit Sastrawidjaya and Bethany Rydmark sit down with Jonathan and explore how permaculture's closed-loop principles translate to team leadership, what it takes to create a safe container for conflict on a job site, and the platform Jonathan is building to transform Houston's local food economy.

Chapters:

00:00 Start

00:34 Meet Jonathan Clay

04:05 Handling Conflict On Teams

07:37 Boundaries And Timing

10:19 Making Space For Quiet Voices

16:50 Permaculture As Leadership

21:05 Team Goals And KPIs

25:59 Right Fit For The Role

28:14 Ground Zero Resources

29:06 Profitability Not Woo Woo

31:44 Why Kalos Project

33:02 Volunteer Powered Food Hubs

35:16 How To Follow Kalos

35:57 Closing Thoughts

References:

- The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz

- The Surrender Experiment by Michael A. Singer

Follow Jonathan:

Website: https://kalosproject.earth/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kalosproject.earth

Follow Land Language:

Land Language Website: https://www.landlanguage.org/

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelandlanguage/

Connect with Us:

Got questions? Ideas for future guests? DM us on Instagram or visit our website to share your thoughts. We're building this together.

About Land Language:

Land Language is a podcast for landscape professionals, plant lovers, and anyone who wants to understand what it really takes to build regeneratively. Hosted by contractor/designer Brit Sastrawidjaya and designer Bethany Rydmark, each episode brings you expert insights, practical tools, and honest conversations about transforming the landscape industry from the ground up.

$14 trillion in small business assets will change hands in the next decade. If you own a trades business, this conversation is for you.

David Hori has spent his career where people and business overlap. From HR to startup operations to building and exiting pro.com (acquired by Opendoor), he now coaches business owners on how to build, prepare, and thoughtfully pass on what they've created. Brit and Bethany talk with David about what it actually means to build a healthy business, whether you're planning to sell or not.

Chapters:

00:00 Start

00:34 Meet David

02:48 Why He Buys

06:02 Retention Playbook

11:12 Building To Sell

13:22 Red Flags Green Flags

14:29 First Buyer Call

16:32 What Makes Buyable

18:29 Sustainable Growth

22:29 Local Legacy Mission

24:08 Coaching Owners

26:13 Culture Needs Weeding

26:58 Loyalty Versus Fit

28:22 KPIs With Compassion

32:11 Incentives Beyond Pay

35:01 Stewardship Over Recklessness

38:04 Coaching That Drives Change

41:52 AI Agents For Leads

44:28 Using AI To Free Time

46:36 Closing Thoughts

Brit and Bethany help bring in the regenerative lens. A business with 90% of its revenue in one customer is like a landscape with 90% of one species. One bad season and it's gone. This conversation goes where most business podcasts don't: into what it means to care for what you've built, and leave it better than you found it.

Follow David:

Web: toplineops.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/iamdavidhori

Instagram: @thedavidhori

Follow Land Language:

Website: https://www.landlanguage.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelandlanguage/

Connect with Us:

Got questions? Ideas for future guests? DM us on Instagram or visit our website to share your thoughts. We're building this together.

About Land Language:

Land Language is a podcast for landscape professionals, plant lovers, and anyone who wants to understand what it really takes to build regeneratively. Hosted by contractor/designer Brit Sastrawidjaya and designer Bethany Rydmark, each episode brings you expert insights, practical tools, and honest conversations about transforming the landscape industry from the ground up.

The landscape industry is still building its catalog of case studies for regenerative work. Every project that gets built is an example. Every conversation that shifts a client's understanding is a seed. We're all relearning methods of cultivation that were once just daily life, and we're doing it together.

In this episode:

• Why the first question in any deck project isn't about materials, it's about purpose
• Extruded aluminum framing + juniper decking as the most ecologically sound Pacific Northwest deck choice
• The lifetime cost of cheap composite vs. the permanence of a well-built deck
• How to bring a client from lawn loyalty to meadow conviction: root depth, carbon, wildlife, morning routines
• A real 2025 Portland front yard: native garden, willow play structure, brass auto-shutoff faucet, reflecting bowl, wildlife habitat directory
• Designing for children from toddlers to teenagers: splash zones, nooks, and getaways

This is the season wrap. Season 2 is coming soon.

Follow Land Language:

Land Language Website: https://www.landlanguage.org/

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelandlanguage/

Connect with Us:

Got questions? Ideas for future guests? DM us on Instagram or visit our website to share your thoughts. We're building this together.

About Land Language:

Land Language is a podcast for landscape professionals, plant lovers, and anyone who wants to understand what it really takes to build regeneratively. Hosted by contractor/designer Brit Sastrawidjaya and designer Bethany Rydmark, each episode brings you expert insights, practical tools, and honest conversations about transforming the landscape industry from the ground up.

In this episode of Land Language, Brit Sastrawidjaya and Bethany Rydmark talk with Marc Boucher-Colbert, longtime garden educator and urban farming advocate, about how outdoor spaces can nurture curiosity, resilience, and ecological literacy in children.

Marc shares his decades of experience developing school gardens and edible landscapes—from composting and crop rotations to integrated pest management (IPM) and soil health. Together, they explore how to turn kids from consumers into producers, how to adapt regenerative design principles for schools, and how simple gestures like container gardening can spark lifelong relationships with the living world.

Chapters:

00:00 Start

00:33 Meet Mark Boucher

02:10 From Compost to Farming

04:05 Urban Bounty Origins

04:34 School Garden Career

07:08 Montessori Outdoors

08:46 Cooking and Harvesting

10:50 Roaming and Curiosity

13:27 Science by Age Group

15:03 Experimenting with Soil

17:30 Loose Materials Play

19:23 Designing Kid Spaces

19:53 Tree Fort Favorites

23:13 Forts and Privacy

25:29 Lawns and Maintenance

28:30 Design for Your Child

31:10 Boulders and Water

32:27 Nature for Adults Too

35:54 Public School Challenges

38:15 School Reform Barriers

38:51 Healing Gardens Proof

40:00 Edible Schoolyard Model

40:59 Afterschool Garden Freedom

43:33 Food Equity Reality Check

44:57 Home vs School Cooking

47:38 Micro Community Leadership

49:46 Slow Down With Nature

52:12 Family Food Memories

54:17 IPM Basics Explained

01:05:47 Soil Health Over Inputs

01:07:47 Start Small Grow Something

01:10:27 Books Club And Resources

01:11:59 Design Your Eden Cards

01:17:51 Closing Thoughts

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Follow Marc:

Website: https://www.designyoureden.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/designyoureden

Follow Land Language:

Land Language Website: https://www.landlanguage.org/

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelandlanguage/

Connect with Us:

Got questions? Ideas for future guests? DM us on Instagram or visit our website to share your thoughts. We're building this together.

About Marc:

Marc Boucher-Colbert is a garden educator, urban farmer, and sustainability advocate with over two decades of experience teaching children to connect with the land. He helped establish Zenger Farm in Portland, founded the rooftop garden at Noble Rot, and currently serves as the gardening specialist at the Franciscan Montessori Earth School, where he integrates science, ecology, and food systems into daily learning. His work blends hands-on experimentation with a deep belief in regenerative, community-driven landscapes.

About Land Language:

Land Language is a podcast for landscape professionals, plant lovers, and anyone who wants to understand what it really takes to build regeneratively. Hosted by contractor/designer Brit Sastrawidjaya and designer Bethany Rydmark, each episode brings you expert insights, practical tools, and honest conversations about transforming the landscape industry from the ground up.

Soil health is the backbone of regenerative landscape design. In this episode, hosts Brit Sastrawidjaya and Bethany Rydmark talk with Nick Tomasini, soil consultant, microbiology specialist, and founder of Humankind Oregon, about the real science behind soil structure, compaction, microbial activity, and soil amendments that actually work.

Nick explains soil chemistry vs. biology, how to choose the right soil test, what mineral balancing actually means, and why compost extract often outperforms compost tea. He also shares cautionary insight on biochar, how to properly inoculate with mycorrhizae, and why fungal networks are essential for long-term plant health.

• Work with compacted soils or post-construction landscapes

• Want a clear approach to soil testing & diagnostics

• Are trying to reduce herbicide use

• Want practical, regenerative solutions backed by soil science

Chapters:

00:00 Start

01:26 Nick’s Origin Story

02:58 Two Decades of Change

07:00 Clients and Soil Awareness

11:41 Compaction and No Till

13:46 Soil Chemistry Testing

17:18 Carbon and Haney Test

19:38 Microbiology Test Options

24:06 Disturbance and Diversity

26:18 Raised Bed Soil Blends

29:33 Testing Compost Inputs

30:32 Remediation and Biochar

33:28 Charging Biochar Basics

34:39 Surface Area Hype Check

35:42 Micronized Biochar Cautionary Tale

36:20 Trials and Less Is More

37:02 Wood Chips for Remediation

38:44 Heavy Metals Remobilization Risk

42:05 Residential Soil Health Priorities

44:56 Mycorrhizae Endo vs Ecto

46:28 Compost Tea Reality Check

48:53 Compost Extract How To

54:36 Root Dips and Contractor Buy In

58:04 Weed Control Without Herbicides

01:02:05 Pelletized Wool Wild Card

01:04:00 Phytoremediation Rabbit Hole

01:04:45 Closing Thoughts

Follow Nick:

Website: https://www.humankindoregon.com/

Humankind Oregon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/humankindoregon/

Follow Land Language:

Land Language Website: https://www.landlanguage.org/

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelandlanguage/

Connect with Us:

Got questions? Ideas for future guests? DM us on Instagram or visit our website to share your thoughts. We're building this together.

About Land Language:

Land Language is a podcast for landscape professionals, plant lovers, and anyone who wants to understand what it really takes to build regeneratively. Hosted by contractor/designer Brit Sastrawidjaya and designer Bethany Rydmark, each episode brings you expert insights, practical tools, and honest conversations about transforming the landscape industry from the ground up.

Sustainable landscaping and regenerative landscape design aren’t just about plants and products, they’re about how we relate to the creatures that hold our food systems together. In this episode of Land Language, hosts Brit Sastrawidjaya and Bethany Rydmark talk with Onyx Baird, documentary filmmaker, regenerative beekeeper, and wildlife scientist, about rethinking bees, beekeeping, and pollinator habitat from the ground up.

Onyx traces the story of Apis mellifera from ancient honey hunting and goddess traditions to today’s industrial beekeeping model, where thin-walled hives, chemical mite treatments, and factory-scale queen breeding are driving unprecedented losses. She explains why 2024 marked the deadliest year on record for U.S. commercial honeybee colonies, and why wild bees, given the chance, are still evolving to meet new threats.

Most importantly, this conversation focuses on solutions at the scale of your projects and neighborhoods: bee-centric hive designs that mimic tree cavities, planting strategies that feed both honeybees and native bees, and practical ways to talk with clients and neighbors about pesticides, swarms, and “messy” gardens.

Chapters:

00:00 Start

02:05 Bees Through Deep Time

04:18 Industrial Beekeeping Shift

05:47 Varroa Mites and Colony Losses

08:33 Reimagining Regenerative Beekeeping

09:51 Native Bees vs Honeybees

12:49 Insulated Hives and Forage

14:21 Medicinal Plants for Bees

17:15 Native Bee Nesting Habitat

19:06 Messy Gardens and Spring Cleanup

22:38 Neonicotinoids Hidden in Plants

24:10 Onyx’s Path Into Beekeeping

27:03 From Fear to Reverence

28:59 Low to High Commitment Hives

33:35 Monthly Hive Checkins

35:03 Just Start Beekeeping

36:08 Wild Genetics Over Industry

38:07 No Future For Monoculture

39:34 Local Gardens Hope

42:00 Banana Scent Alarm

43:14 Stings And Calm Energy

45:25 Bee Baths And Healing

47:16 Drones And Mating Flights

49:33 Swarms As Education Portal

51:53 Talking To Neighbors

56:33 Organic Lawn Alternatives

57:41 Women Beekeepers Documentary

58:53 Portugal Hawaii Yucatan

01:04:01 Funding And Release Plan

01:07:12 End

Follow Onyx:

Amrita documentary: https://www.amritadocumentary.com

Feral Honey: https://www.feralhoney.org

Instagram: @thebeeoracle

Follow Land Language:

Land Language Website: https://www.landlanguage.org/

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelandlanguage/

Connect with Us:

Got questions? Ideas for future guests? DM us on Instagram or visit our website to share your thoughts. We're building this together.

About Land Language:

Land Language is a podcast for landscape professionals, plant lovers, and anyone who wants to understand what it really takes to build regeneratively. Hosted by contractor/designer Brit Sastrawidjaya and designer Bethany Rydmark, each episode brings you expert insights, practical tools, and honest conversations about transforming the landscape industry from the ground up.

Local, sustainable wood is more than a material choice. It’s a connection to land, community, and story.

In this episode, Land Language hosts Brit Sastrawidjaya and Bethany Rydmark sit down with Lynn Morgan, Director of Community Engagement at Sustainable Northwest Wood, to explore how regenerative forestry, ethical material sourcing, and cultural stewardship can transform the landscaping and building industries.

We dive into the mission that sets Sustainable Northwest Wood apart: a business founded in 2008 to sell only responsibly harvested, regionally sourced wood—no offsets, no greenwashing, no hidden supply chains. Lynn shares their journey of thoughtful expansion, including a new Seattle distribution center, and why transparency and community trust define every step.

The conversation moves from forest ecology to personal lineage: Appalachian resourcefulness, the emotional weight of forest loss, and the joy of choosing materials with story and meaning. From pests like the emerald ash borer to blue pine salvage, selective harvesting, and the cultural loss of “enough,” Lynn offers a grounded vision for how the landscape and construction industries can shift toward regenerative practice.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why local wood matters for climate, culture, and accountability

• How Sustainable Northwest Wood built a fully regenerative supply model

• The ecological and emotional impact of pests like the ash borer and pine beetle

• Selective harvesting and what a truly healthy working forest looks like

• How to choose materials that nourish ecosystem integrity

• The cultural grief and opportunity inside today’s forest management conversations

• Why “enoughness” is a critical value for regenerative design

• How story-rich materials change the client experience

Chapters:

00:00 Start

00:33 Meet Lynn Morgan (Sustainable Northwest Wood)

01:05 Lynn’s Journey: From Interior Design to Sustainable Lumber

03:37 A Lifelong Relationship with Forests (Not Just a Resource)

05:41 Juniper Origin Story: Restoration Wood & Watershed Comeback

08:52 Juniper Durability, Beauty, and Best Uses

11:53 Designing With Juniper: Length Limits, Character, and Install Tips

14:27 Cutting Through Greenwashing: FSC, Chain of Custody, and Vetting

16:36 What Sustainable Harvesting Looks Like on the Ground (vs Clearcuts)

23:00 PDX Airport Remodel: 800,000 Board Feet + Local Forest Collaboration

27:52 Why Traceable Materials Matter

29:39 PDX’s Responsibly Sourced Wood & Restored Watersheds

30:44 Climate Change, Drier Summers & Cedar Decline

31:30 New Species, Long-Term Planning & Zena Forest

33:21 Price, Values & the Power of Wood’s Story

35:40 Tribal Sourcing, Rebates Back to Forests & Buying Local

37:45 Slow Down, Ask Questions, Build Better

39:16 Why This Lumberyard Is Unique & What’s Next

41:09 Appalachia Roots, Stewardship & Caring for the Land

44:18 Sustainability Isn’t Luxury: Limits, Gratitude & A More Rooted Life

46:31 Forest Tour + Broader Forestry Questions: NZ, FSC & Using Beetle-Kill/Ash

52:04 Close

Follow Lynn:

Sustainable Northwest Wood: https://www.snwwood.com/Lynn-Morgan

Follow Land Language:

Land Language Website: https://www.landlanguage.org/

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelandlanguage/

Connect with Us:

Got questions? Ideas for future guests? DM us on Instagram @thelandlanguage or visit our website to share your thoughts. We're building this together.

About Land Language:

Land Language is a podcast for landscape professionals, plant lovers, and anyone who wants to understand what it really takes to build regeneratively. Hosted by contractor/designer Brit Sastrawidjaya and landscape architect Bethany Rydmark, each episode brings you expert insights, practical tools, and honest conversations about transforming the landscape industry from the ground up.

Growing food isn't about producing bushels of vegetables or becoming self-sufficient—it's about cultivating connection, wonder, and daily rituals that nourish both body and soul. In this episode, Brit Sastrawidjaya and Bethany Rydmark talk with garden writer and cookbook author Willi Galloway about integrating edibles into landscapes, discovering overlooked plant parts, and building a breakfast routine centered around garden-fresh vegetables.

Willi shares her unconventional journey from college English major to test garden manager at Organic Gardening Magazine to two-time cookbook author. Along the way, she challenges yield-obsessed gardening culture, celebrates the magic of nasturtium leaves on avocado toast, and explains why growing a single bean plant that reaches eight feet tall in a few months is a profoundly life-affirming act.

Chapters:

00:00 Start

00:39 Meet Willie Galloway: From Organic Gardening to Cookbook Author

01:54 Willie's Early Gardening Influences

03:19 Journey to Organic Gardening Magazine

05:21 Discovering the Joy of Growing Food

10:17 Incorporating Edibles into Your Garden

19:13 Companion Planting and Garden Maintenance Tips

22:42 The Psychological Benefits of Gardening

23:27 Mindfulness in the Garden

25:11 The Joy of Growing Your Own Food

26:01 Designing Gardens for Wellness

28:24 Incorporating Food into Ornamental Gardens

29:15 Veggies for Breakfast: A New Perspective

33:08 Creating Rituals with Garden Herbs

37:11 Exploring the Northwest Floral Garden Festival

40:14 Connecting People Through Gardening Stories

44:23 Conclusion

Follow Willi:

Website

Willi Galloway on Instagram

Follow Land Language:

Land Language Website

Follow on Instagram

Connect with Us:

Got questions? Ideas for future guests? DM us on Instagram or visit our website to share your thoughts. We're building this together.

About Land Language:

Land Language is a podcast for landscape professionals, plant lovers, and anyone who wants to understand what it really takes to build regeneratively. Hosted by contractor/designer Brit Sastrawidjaya and designer Bethany Rydmark, each episode brings you expert insights, practical tools, and honest conversations about transforming the landscape industry from the ground up.