Join Anni Ellis , Jon Butts, and Tanja Vidovic for the Sustainable Living show, here on your community supported radio station, WMNF Tampa. On Sustainable Living, they bring you conversations with local experts on sustainable topics.
Join them every Monday morning at 11 in their talks about alternative energy sources, organic gardening, farming and everything in between. Together we will make a difference. Remember if you are looking for someone to save the world, look in a mirror.
Listen to the latest episodes
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The Sustainable Living show discusses the Safety Harbor Tool Library with library director Lisa Kothe and Adult Services Manager Mallory Cyr. -
The Sustainable Living Show is joined by members of the Tampa Bay Conservancy to discuss conservation easements to save green spaces. -
On todays Sustainable Living Show we talked with Dan Durica and Mark Mazziotti about natural building techniques and pizza ovens -
Join Tanja and Anni to discuss Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) with Jenna Pollard -
Join Tanja Vidovic and guests Heidi Hughes and Dr. Carlos Jordan from Learning Gate Community School to talk about EcoFest 2025. -
Join Tanja Vidovic and guest Nicolette Tiedemann to discuss the passive house building method and homes that heat and cool themselves. -
Join Tanja and Anni to discuss forest schools with expert guests Justin Wilson of Curious and Kind and Erin Melia of Mangrove School. -
Join Tanja, Anni and expert guest Josh Jamison of Cody Cove Nursery to discuss Florida adapted edible plant varieties.
Tanja Vidovic has been volunteering with WMNF since 2017.
Tanja currently spends her time living off grid with her family gardening and making art after retirement from local fire department spending her entire career advocating for women's rights and equality in the Dept.
Tanja started local gardening group Tampa Gardening Swap in 2012. She received recognition and commendation from Tampa City Council after spearheading and planting community orchards in 7 public parks in 2014
Tanja also created the Safety Harbor Art Walk to help connect local businesses and local artists.
Tanja is also an environmental advocate speaking out and working with the City of Safety Harbor and Pinellas County to stop spraying Round- up in the parks. Tanja often went before Safety Harbor Commission to negotiate the preservation of grandfather oaks when developing land which was eventually negotiated into policy.
Tanja believes in connection community and values WMNF as a part of the core community that works as a glue to bond Tampa's residents.
Anni Ellis has been a gardener for 50 years. She started reducing waste 40 and recycling nearly 35 years ago. She has lived and traveled internationally building gardens everywhere along the way. She has been an artist all her life and educated in fine art. These interested were parlayed together 25 years ago into a garden design/ exterior architecture business. She is the owner/ operator of Anni Ellis Garden Design Inc. and encourages sustainable practices for all her clients and associates.
She has lived in her nearly 100 year old Mediterranean home for 25 years and exclusively grows organically. Composting is on site and gardens grow using no chemical fertilizers,pesticides, herbicides nor fungicides. Anni also won the 2020 Waterwise award for Hillsborough County
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Nearly all her property holds fruit trees, perennial and annual vegetables filled in with native plants for pollination. The area is also a certified wildlife habitat.
She is past president of the garden club, Rose Circle. Also she continues to work on keeping garden tours and teaching opportunities alive, in person, online and various medias.
“ Being passionate about the environment lifts us all up to a greater good”
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Grace Behnke is a dedicated volunteer for WMNF. Herbalist, animist, long time dirt worshipper and lover of ecological design. Find her managing all the Sustainable Living posts and site updates and sometimes LIVE on air!
Jon Butts, host of WMNF’s Sustainable Living show since 2005, works a 57-acre organic farm in Plant City. Jon was born in 1948, move to Largo Florida in 1955, graduate form Largo High School in 1967, turned 21 in Vietnam, move to Tampa where I meet his wife to be Debbie and tuned on to WMNF shortly after it started broadcasting. Jon graduated from HCC and has his FL residential contractor's license. During Jimmy Carters presidency Jon became interested in sustainable living, solar energy, etc. Jon bought his 54 acres farm in Plant City in 1985, first growing ornamental trees then growing vegetable with my brother Karl. In 2000 he created ecofarmfl.org and started growing organic vegetables and selling them at local farmers markets. 2004 Jon started doing the WMNF Sustainable Living Program. In 2007 we were the first to do a solar electric gird tied system with TECO, 2010 started raising & milking Water Buffalo. Presently pondering forming a non-profit Agro-tourism practicing permaculture learning, healing farm for the benefit of future generations.
