Music is an ancient art form, with roots in many cultures and traditions. Its power as a healing art has been recognized for centuries in many different cultures. In this episode, Rebecca Strauss will discuss music as a healing art. Rebecca is an accomplished violist, certified musical therapist, and faculty at the Longy School of Music. She is also the founder and director of Riverview Chamber Players and Harmony and Hope.  

Kathy Halamka, one of the founders of Unity Farm Sanctuary, talks about how she and her husband started their farm sanctuary, what they do and what they're looking forward to in the future. Unity Farm Sanctuary provides a safe and loving lifelong home for farm animals, offers unique educational programs to the public, and promotes a culture of kindness and connection. To learn more about Unity Farm Sanctuary, please visit their website, https://www.unityfarmsanctuary.org/

Mental wellness is an important part of overall wellness. It's something that is often overlooked, and it doesn't have to be. Mental health is just as important to maintain as physical health. In this episode, Gabbi of Gabbisolarpowered.com discusses the importance of paying attention to mental wellness and gives excellent self-care tips. You can find out more about Gabbi here: Gabbisolarpowered.com https://www.facebook.com/GabbiSolarPowered/ https://www.instagram.com/gabbisolarpowered/ https://twitter.com/gabbisolarpower https://www.tiktok.com/@gabbisolarpowered

Steph Speirs, co-founder, and CEO of Solstice discusses community solar. Community solar gives renewable solar access to households who can not install solar panels. To learn more about Solstice and community solar, please visit their website, https://solstice.us/.

Social dances are found in many cultures around the world.  Dance has also been found to contribute physical, mental and emotional well-being.  In this episode, Ching Kao, the co-owner of Firebeat Ballroom Dancing in Winchester MA  talks about ballroom dance, the benefits of dance and learning dance as an adult. Please visit Firebeat Ballroom Dancing to learn more about ballroom and social dancing.

Judy Manzo is the owner of Book Ends, a popular independent bookstore, shares her perspective on the books, bookstores, and the importance of local small businesses.  To learn more about Book Ends, please visit their website, https://bookendswinchester.indielite.org/.

Kay Patterson is a professional organizer and opera singer in the Boston area.  In this episode, Kay shares organizing and declutter tips and tricks. To learn more about Kay, please visit her website, https://www.theorganizedsoprano.com/ and her youtube channel, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGZKYFBPnLYy6U3nLcZpcBw

n this episode, I will speak with Dan Fireside of Equal Exchange. Dan has a wealth of knowledge on fair trade, farmer cooperatives and how things in the fair trade movement have changed over the past several years. In this episode, we delved into all of the above. We also discussed the problem of child slave labor in the chocolate industry. Equal Exchange is a mission based Massachusetts based worker cooperative. You can learn more about Equal Exchange and the products they carry here. https://equalexchange.coop/ Dan shared a petition asking Mars & Nestle to stop using child slave labor in their chocolate products. Here is the link. https://sign.moveon.org/petitions/mars-nestle-stop-using-child-slave-labor-in-your-chocolate-products?source=facebook-share-button&time=1602094938&utm_source=facebook&share=a4b5713e-66b2-4fef-a4b2-6c4434384162&fbclid=IwAR0Pq_7dj4N8EM8Ef5hHoX4GxNsAUX00a1FEPkreuEek4LTvJA-QFYfhag8

Lenni Armstrong is a visual storyteller and part of Depave Somerville. Depaving is the concept of removing impervious surfaces like concrete and asphalt from cities. It has many benefits including ambient cool, visual privacy, and restoration of local habitat for birds and insects. Lenni discusses more about depaving, including its benefits and practical guidelines to get started. You can learn more about Depave Somerville: here http://www.depavehub.org/ Here is Lenni’s TEDx talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlTG0Y_zknc You can learn for about Lenni Armstrong here: http://informmotion.biz/

Residential solar is becoming a more viable option for many looking to reduce their carbon footprint and save money. Dave Judelson of BlueSel (https://www.bluesel.com/) will talk about the basics of solar, tax credits currently available and buying vs leasing panels.