Written By Megin Potter  |  Photos by Susan Blackburn Photography

[From the 2025 Saratoga Christmas Newsprint Magazine]

Alexandra Fasulo rode her first pony at the age of two. As a child, she loved being outdoors, playing in the creek, and running around with the geese in her Altamont backyard.

In the decades to follow, the Fasulo family left the Upstate New York countryside behind while Alex and her little sister, Allegra Paris, became online influencers.

After Hurricane Ian blew in and destroyed their Florida homes in 2022, the Fasulo family, first Alex, then her mother and stepfather, landed on a 6.74-acre field in Schuylerville, New York where an Amish-built barn, the heart of the House of Green, now resides.

They have returned to the land, and where it all began, to build a life, together, from the ground up.

The Powerful Connection Between the Pastural and the Digital Worlds

Today, there is a growing disconnect between the online and offline worlds. As industry and urban sprawl hungerly grab at the country’s remaining open spaces, fewer people than ever have set foot on a farm.

At the House of Green, however, Alex is keeping the beauty of nature alive. Here, the sunny summer days entice the nectar-rich flowers she has planted to open, attracting butterflies galore. During the holidays, apples and oranges are hung from the trees, the birdfeeders are filled, and the birdbath heaters are switched on while the Fasulo’s fluffy 18-year-old cat, Smokey, lazily moseys across their barn’s radiant heated floors on a quest for a cozy spot to settle in.

“Christmas is for the animals, too,” said Alex.

A Stable Community 

A digital nomad that once navigated the gig economy by sitting at her computer 16 hours a day, Alex said she enjoys having the opportunity now to unplug, as well as the physical challenges that come with her outdoor lifestyle.

Documenting it all for her followers is work that comes naturally to Alex, who, at age 32, is an aspiring young farmer publishing on multiple channels to an online community that is always just a click away. 

Hundreds of thousands logged on to witness Alex’s unique journey of resilience and personal growth, learning alongside her about the Amish way of life, and the Amish community’s entrepreneurial spirit. Her message resonated with her audience, who now include more than a million TikTok viewers, 650K Instagram followers, and over 350K YouTube subscribers.

Alex is using her platform to inform House of Green’s dedicated 33,000 Substack followers about the importance of sustainable agriculture. She is at the epicenter of her own experiment, she says, searching for a new way to do business, grow safe food, and build the community of the future.

Laboring Together to Build a Solid Foundation

As public figures, both Alex and Allegra are vulnerable to the dark underbelly of influencer culture and have felt the pressure of online critics.

“I’m very transparent. There’s no gatekeeping. While I have changed course in my life, that’s something I’ve clung to through everything I do,” said Alex.

This summer, followers of Alex’s journey on social media travelled hours out of their way (and came from as far away as the Netherlands) to visit the House of Green. In October, Alex founded the American Land Rescue Fund, a 501(c)(3) striving to defend America’s farmland, wildlife, and open spaces. 

“I’m creating a bridge and making people less afraid,” said Alex. “When it comes to the environment, the soil, and the food we’re eating, it’s important to pay attention to the technology we’re using, to pause, and to reflect on the added net benefit. I’m not anti-tech. The one thing I am against is poisoning the soil. The soil in America needs a hug.”

The Butterfly Effect

Simple, functional, and long-lasting, the barn, chicken coop, and farm stand built by Blue Rail Excavating, the Miller family, and more than two dozen from Canajoharie’s Amish Village for the House of Green make an impression on everyone who sees them.

Large paintings of monarch butterflies by Alex’s mother, Lisa Fasulo, an award-winning artist and teacher, are displayed in the building’s expansive space, and during the holidays, the Fasulo family gathers together at the barn’s substantial wooden tables to eat big meals made with farm fresh eggs, Amish-grown produce, and handmade pies.

Even the small, quiet moments here hold the promise of abundance, creating a meaningful narrative of strong family ties and reciprocity, where being a good neighbor, and experiencing the earth’s natural cycles, connects you to something larger than anything a screenshot could ever capture.