It’s a picture-perfect summer morning amid the rolling green hills of southwest Ohio, and Melissa Renee settles into her chair on the deck of her two-acre homestead. Drinking a cup of coffee, she takes in the sites and sounds of horses neighing, birds singing, hens cackling, and the hoot from a solitaire owl. She waves…

MILLERSBURG, Ohio—In a warehouse outside of this village in Ohio’s Amish Country, Brenton Wengerd walks along aisles of shelves stocked with 700 varieties of seeds that range from fruits, vegetables, and herbs to flowers, ancient grains, and cover crops. A day earlier, his company—Berlin Seeds—co-hosted the second Food Independence Summit, where gardening and homesteading enthusiasts…

WALNUT CREEK, Ohio—Amid the rolling green hills of eastern Ohio, Amish and Mennonite farms dot the landscape along roads traveled by horse-drawn buggies and automobiles. Here, self-sufficient living is a way of life. This is a reason why the Food Independence Summit has already become one of the country’s largest sustainable living events where experts…

VINTON COUNTY, Ohio—People from all walks of life flocked last weekend from 25 states and Canada to the Old School Survival Boot Camp, a three-day event in the Appalachian foothills of southern Ohio where they gathered to learn skills that teach self-reliance. More than 140 classes taught by instructors from around the country included butchering,…

American consumers are reaching for “green” products on shelves more than ever this year while corporations are cashing in on a gold mine. Though evidence suggests the trend has little to do with helping the environment. The market for sustainable products and energy was valued at more than $15 billion in 2022. Analysts forecast that…

Central Illinois Beekeeper Tressa Hoffman has taken from her beehives an ingredient for preserving food in an eco-friendly way, and she’s happy to share what she’s learned with others. A beekeeper for about eight years on her residential farm called “Honey Creek Farm” near Springfield, Illinois, Hoffman has made beeswax wraps for two years. Beeswax…