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Dear Readers,
As we put this issue together, we noticed a theme: It’s full of remarkable Island women taking action for the planet.
I had the pleasure of speaking with Maggie Craig, who’s using biochar — a carbon-rich soil amendment made from salvaged wood waste — to address climate and waste issues all at once. Our founder, Vicki Riskin, contributes two pieces to this issue, including a conversation with Claudia Macedo, who splits her time between Edgartown and Brazil’s Mata Atlântica, where she works to restore native tree populations in the rainforest. Vicki also visits Monina von Opel in Chilmark, who, like many on the Island, worries about the loss of Island Grown Initiative’s composting program. In her own yard, Monina has built a homegrown compost system. She shares a simple DIY guide here.
You’ll also find a story featuring Juli Vanderhoop at Orange Peel Bakery, and how she forages, grows, and bakes in balance with nature. “We need to maintain the ancient knowledge, to try to work and live with reciprocity,” Juli says. And Sakiko Isomichi, through a Vineyard Vision Fellowship, continues to research how native planting is gaining ground on the Island, shifting the paradigm away from sterile green lawns.
In reporting one of her pieces, Vicki muses: Is the wish to care for land a feminine impulse?
Of course, men care too. We loved editing this story about Patrick Roden-Reynolds, who heads the Martha’s Vineyard Tick Program and is on a mission to keep Island yards tick-free without harming the environment. Lucas Thors attends a mending workshop hosted by the Agricultural Society and writes about reviving a favorite old shirt – and keeping it out of the landfill. And essayist Nancy Aronie continues riffing on her husband’s climate devotion.
These are stories of people who saw a problem, rolled up their sleeves, and got to work — using the tools at hand and drawing strength from their communities. We hope these stories spark ideas, conversations, or even a project or two of your own.
This issue also happens to be put together by an all-female editorial and design team — which feels fitting, and worth mentioning.
Thank you for reading, and enjoy these magic months,
Britt Bowker (and Jamie Kageleiry)
