Jess Boeke and Sarah Pottle

This week we will hear from twin sisters Jess Boeke and Sarah Pottle of the Rustbelt Fibershed, a bioregional textile network growing hope and resilience through the use of local fibers. We speak with this dynamic duo on a multitude of topics, touching on ways to shift and expand our mindsets towards a more sustainable paradigm. Jess is an educator and fiber artist who has been working with natural dyes since 2008. Born and raised in Ohio, Cleveland, she is known for engaging and educating communities on the importance of local labor, dyes, and the carbon impacts of our soil-to-soil textile industry. In her teachings, she has inspired others on the promotion of ethical fashion and the importance of regenerative learning. Her twin sister, Sarah has personally coached hundreds of teachers through thousands of lessons in high-quality, equitable instruction. Her desire to create transformational systems change has led her on a daunting journey with her twin sister of slow living and sustainable fashion, spreading awareness on regenerative learning education in the Rust Belt Cities.

Today we will learn more about how we can focus our relationships between people and the Earth in order to enable transformation in our society, explore the impact of the clothing and textile industry on climate change and incorporate more environmental teachings in the classroom. We will also speak to Sarah and Jess about what they envision for the future, their hopes and aspirations, and how we can continue to promote regenerative education learning in the classroom.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Topics Covered:

  • What is regenerative living for modern families?
  • How we can incorporate more environmental teachings in the classroom. 
  • The impact of the clothing and textile industry on climate change.

Resources Mentioned & Guest Info:

  • Drift Lab Dye Studios
  • Rust Belt Fibershed
  • Connect with Jess and Sarah on their company website.
  • If you're involved in the educational system (teacher, substitute, principal, para, school counselor, involved parent) and you want to know more about how we're trying to shift the educational paradigm away from a mechanical one towards one that's filled with more life, you can check out their podcast Regenerative Ed.
  • Check out their workshops here.

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Credits:

Original music by John Kingsley - @jkingsley1026