C attached

C Attached

Donations and sponsorship of local non-profit groups like Crossroads, SEEC, Real Food for Kids, Manna, Historic Takoma and many small schools and other groups

Ran winter coat drive for People of Color Collaborative 

Participation in local events including running Earth Day, Thursdays at the Co-op, Takoma Park Play Day, Street Festival

Store composts (Compost Cab), recycles, has only compostable plastic bags in produce and bulk, sells huge variety of bulk materials to reduce packaging, brings in products with thoughtful environmental packaging, runs educational events like Earth Day celebration and Fall Apple Tasting

We are currently working on being able to accept plastic bags for recycling.  Even though we don't use them for grocery bagging, many customers want to be able to bring them to their local grocery store

No piece of clothing is worth harming our planet or someone’s health. We need to radically transform the way clothing is made and the way garment workers are treated.

We're starting with Carter’s children's clothing, which is a leader in the industry, but a laggard in ending toxic textiles.

Children are more susceptible to the health impacts of harmful chemical exposure. When comparing exposure to body weight, children take in more water, food and air per pound than adults, so air pollution, tainted resources, and exposure to toxic chemicals can cause more problems for children than adults. And, some of the most commonly used dyes are known carcinogens.

You made Carter's improve. Now more consumer pressure is needed!

When we launched the Toxic Textiles campaign in 2019, Carter’s shared very little information about its sustainability efforts publicly. Since then Carter’s has taken a number of steps:

• launching an environmental, social, and governance (ESG) website
• disclosing a restricted substances list (RSL)
• releasing a sustainability report
• adopting a manufacturing restricted substances list

This progress is thanks to the over 30,000 individuals who have called on Carter’s to step it up, but there is still a lot of room for improvement!

Campaign Goals:

 Disclose Restricted Substances List (RSL)

 Issue a sustainability report

🚧 In Progress: Disclose a Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (MRSL)

 Phase out highly hazardous chemicals

Campaign Progress:

• Carter's issues 1st sustainability report!
• Carter's releases a Restricted Substances List and ESG website!
• Decoding a corporate response

By Kim Aman (aka Farmer Kim), a school garden educator in North Texas

I come from a long line of farmers. For several generations, my family farmed the rich soil in the Central Ohio countryside to feed their community and family. My grandfather was very influential in my early years and taught me about the land and the plants that grew there. He was a huge fan of composting lawn waste and food scraps and was "organic" and “regenerative” minded before they coined those terms. He paid me 5 cents for each weed that I would pull (roots and all), and I always looked forward to working in the yard alongside him. It was there, that I learned many of my first lessons in gardening.

When I grew up, I followed my heart and love of children into the profession of teaching. As a teacher, I constantly looked for opportunities to connect learning objectives with the natural world and take my students outside. As luck would have it, when a group of parents wanted to start a school garden, they invited me to join in the committee work. When our program began to grow, I was able to retire from classroom life and work full time in the dirt. It dawned on me that this was my true passion, combining my love of teaching with the garden.

Moss Haven Farm is a non-profit on the campus of Moss Haven Elementary in Dallas, Texas. Our program has grown to include 25 raised beds, a large farm field where our 500 students grow and harvest food for the North Texas Food Bank, a chicken coop, compost area, native plant area, and a pocket prairie. All K-6 students receive weekly grade-level garden curriculum on our urban farm. Students use organic farming and gardening practices, which complement and inform their learning about ecology and biology in the classroom. These lessons encourage and foster understanding of living systems that we hope they will carry into the future and off the field.

Gardening in the south gives us year-round opportunities to grow food, so our soil is always covered with crops, a major tenet of regenerative agriculture and Climate Victory Gardening. In January, we grow cool season food like garlic, onion, swiss chard, kale, turnips, beets, and carrots. In February, we plant potatoes. In mid-March, after the threat of a freeze, we put our tomatoes in the ground, and as we head into spring, okra, peppers, squash, eggplant, and field peas go in. Our students come alive on the farm, and it’s so fun to see them associating healthy food with the outdoors and the care it takes to nurture the plants

Just like in the days of my grandfather, many hands make light work. We have a Garden Team, who helps with funding, events, social media, and digging on workdays. Connecting with other organizations has helped with the sustainability of our program too. Our partners include Richardson ISD,  Slow Food USA, American Heart Association, USDA, Dallas County Master Gardeners, North Texas Food Bank, Grow North Texas, and Bonnie Plants, as well as local service organizations and our community. Not only are these partnerships helpful, they’re a necessity for supporting our efforts to teach students, grow healthy food, and sequester carbon in our soils.  

This year we are entering our 8th year at Moss Haven Farm. Our program has made an impact on everyone involved, from the little preschool groups who visit, to our students, staff, and parents. Through this experience, I have become involved in the local food system, working with the Farmers Market Friends, Slow Food DFW, and Grow North Texas. Slow Food USA has given me opportunities to represent the United States as an ambassador and learn from others around the world. Most recently, I was named Slow Food USA School Garden Co-Chair and work on policy, procedures, curriculum, and mentoring throughout the United States, pushing my reach and impact much farther than our school garden. It’s my goal to advocate for and teach the next generation about regenerative farming and gardening practices, so they can continue to grow food and inspire others, like my grandfather did.

School garden programs take an enormous amount of work and the average school garden in America only lasts about two years. Many factors play into this. It is relatively easy to get a garden up and growing, but maintenance is tricky. Teachers, who are the busiest people on the planet, do not have time to commit to keeping a garden alive but are an important piece of the program, since they are experts at curriculum and connecting it to the garden. We have found that a team effort is critical to keeping a garden program alive and well. If someone moves or is unavailable, there are several other team members who can lend a hand. Connecting a community this way, also builds buy-in and a support system that can lead a program to sustainability. This is all important because it increases the number of people involved in the stewardship and fostering of living, regenerative systems in their own backyards. 

Changing the food system and improving the environment is a passion of mine, and I truly believe that educating the little ones is the way that we can change our broken systems to become more regenerative and resilient. Change happens in the garden, where children can physically experience the lessons we’re trying to teach and the values we’re encouraging. Hard work and fun combine here to inspire. I am a believer in all of the Climate Victory Garden commitments and practices of regenerative agriculture. I work each day to teach and inspire my students to follow along, care for the earth, and each other. 

You can find Kim at:

FarmerKimAman@gmail.com

https://www.mosshavenfarm.org

https://www.facebook.com/MossHavenFarm/

https://www.instagram.com/thefarmerkim/

https://www.instagram.com/mosshavenfarm/

The major areas of social and environmental impact the STM continues to encourage is reduction of food waste by reducing food overproduction, and eliminating single use plastics at events. Whenever possible, excess food is redistributed to shelters and plate waste is composted by the food provider. I try to bring awareness of these issues to my clients and other event stakeholders so that they can see the impact they have on their bottom line.

The major areas of social and environmental impact the STM continues to encourage is reduction of food waste by reducing food overproduction, and eliminating single use plastics at events. Whenever possible, excess food is redistributed to shelters and plate waste is composted by the food provider. I try to bring awareness of these issues to my clients and other event stakeholders so that they can see the impact they have on their bottom line.

Back to Soil SuperHeroes

Q: How did you become interested in farming?

Kofi Boa (KB): My parents were farmers, and as a young child they had to take me to the farm on weekends and school holidays. Just like all the children in the village, I only knew the school and the farm. I liked the farm because there was always so much to eat and a lot of space to play. This got me interested in farming, and I wished everyday was a weekend or holiday. Today, I am a farmer and educator. I grow a wide variety of food and cash crops, including trees, vegetables, grains, and cover crops. I grow a number of different crops on my (size) farm."

Q: When did you learn about the importance of soil health and begin putting it into practice?

KB: My father died when I was 10 years old. At age 12, my mother’s cocoa farm--which was our main source of family income--was burned by a neighboring farmer who had set fire to his field to prepare for planting corn. From that day on, I pledged to fight slash and burn, a method used by farmers to prepare their fields for planting, which gives crops an initial nutrient boost but kills the soil life necessary for sustained, healthy farmlands. I spoke to elders in the village and learned that, rather than use fire, they used to cut vegetation, leave it on the ground for a year, and then come back to plant crops--especially cocoa--when it had decomposed. This technique was called “proka” in the local Akan language. I started practicing “proka” at that age and have adapted it by planting in the mulch immediately after slashing, without the one year waiting period.

Q: What growing practices do you follow?

KB: Everything I do on my farm is guided by a goal to regenerate the soil:

1. Minimal soil disturbance through no-till and/or reduced tillage practices such as planting directly on the mulch covered field
2. Permanent soil cover by retaining crop residue on fields after slashing or using cover crops if there are no residue
3. Crop diversification through crop rotations

Q: What inspires you to use these practices?

KB: Human population has dramatically increased in Sub-Saharan Africa over the past two decades, resulting in increasing demand for food. While the number of people that need to be fed is rising, the arable land area suitable for producing food is declining. This is due to enhanced desertification, flooding, accelerated urbanization, and unfavorable farming practices--especially land preparation methods.

I am inspired by the regenerative power of agriculture to build healthy soils, increase organic matter and nutrient levels, enhance soil life, and improve soil structure to meet rising demands for food. The practices I use and advocate for allow for continuous and intensive farming in an environmentally friendly and profitable manner, whilst satisfying human needs for food and/or income. This is all possible because of soil health. I believe these practices help balance production, costs, environmental considerations, and economic sustainability.

Tell us about the Centre for No-Till Agriculture (CNTA) and the outcomes you witness when regenerative agriculture is adopted by the communities you work with. 

KB: I founded the CNTA to show the benefits that come from conserving and regenerating the soil. I had been using these farming practices on my farms as an example, where farmers could see results. I began to teach others, and farmers were getting interested, so I started the Centre

At CNTA, I teach farmers about forest productivity, fallow land, and how to replicate healthy soil conditions on arable lands using the principles I mentioned earlier. I build farmers’ confidence with interactive and visual evidence on demonstration plots and other farmers’ fields. Once farmers become confident that the approach work, they complete hands-on practical training so they feel comfortable implementing on their own lands.

With healthy, productive soils, farming can be a real business and an assured means of livelihood. Outcomes are visible in the community, with the elimination of bushfires, year-round food security, and the creation of wealth among vibrant youth in rural areas.

Q: What do you see as the biggest challenges in getting farmers on-board?

KB: The benefits of building soil health are slow to realize, and no-till practices are not wide spread. There is a lack of support and promotion around regenerative agriculture. Financing is needed for creating additional learning and demonstration plots for farmer training. Farmer-to-farmer extension services are very important, but the lack of incentives for getting outstanding smallholder farmers involved continues to hinder the spread of regenerative agriculture. Inadequate inputs and market access is also limiting and slows more widespread adoption of these practices.

Q: How can consumers support the work that you are doing?

KB: Rising consumer demand could trigger more interest in products grown regeneratively, which in turn would drive the recognition and adoption of soil conserving practices at the farm-level. This would greatly support our initiatives at CNTA. Rising consumer demand for these products will have positive impacts on the changing climate, as more environmentally-friendly production practices are employed.

To learn more about Kofi’s work, visit https://centrefornotill.org/

To learn more about Grow Ahead’s work with farmers like Kofi, visit https://growahead.org/

When I lived as a market farmer in Washington State, Saturday afternoons were a celebration of sorts. After a busy week of tending and harvesting up to 200 different herbs and vegetables, I’d invite the community to a weekly farmstand. I’d begin preparations early and by 11am the vegetable display was primed with puffed bags of lettuce and tall, carefully stacked pyramids of freshly picked tomatoes. It was a relief to open the farm gates and finally be able to sit and chat with friends and neighbors.

Locals would gather in the shade of the cedar farmstand, cradling cucumbers and onions, and ask their most pressing gardening questions. The most common one, by far, was, “how can I grow food like this at home?”

“It’s easy!” I’d reply, and groans almost always followed. They told me stories about ripping out huge sections of lawn only to give up because planting vegetables was too much work. Or about the uncontrollable problems caused by piling fresh soil onto a bed without first pulling out all the weeds. They complained about soil too poor to support the growth of healthy plants. 

I had to admit that what seems easy to me, someone entirely oriented around growing food, is of course much harder if you’re more accustomed to growing grass. So over time I learned to break down my “It’s easy!” into small steps that can lead to a starter Climate Victory Garden.

So here’s my advice: pick a good spot to plant, start small, and focus on nourishing healthy soil. It takes work but, honestly, it is easier than you think.

Pick a location.

An ideal planting bed gets plenty of sun, has easy access to a water spigot, which helps cut down on the time and hassle of watering, and can be seen from your home so there’s less of a chance you’ll forget about it. But if your only bet is a plot that’s heavily shaded and bone dry, don’t worry about it. It just means you’ll have to work extra hard to build good soil, and pick plants that will thrive without much sun. In short, it can be done! 

Prep your garden bed.

Start small to keep the workload under control. If you end up wanting more space you can always add onto it later. While garden beds can be any size you want, you will want to consider the width. Namely, can you easily reach across it to tend plants?

Stepping on beds will compact, or squeeze together, soil particles. Without air pockets, it’s harder for soil to absorb water and store nutrients. Compacted soil also crowds out all those good organisms that break down debris, ward off soil-borne pests, and tunnel through the soil so that plant roots can stretch out.

Some gardeners like to head to the hardware store to buy wood, build a box, and fill it with soil. I’d rather skip the work and expense of that approach, and just build a bed on top of the ground using one of the following three techniques.

1. Sheet mulch your plot.

You’ll need cardboard or newspaper, leaves, grass clippings, compost, and any other organic material you can get your hands on. First, lay moistened cardboard or newspaper over your lawn or dirt. If you plan on planting large woody perennials like fruit bushes, cut a hole in the cardboard and plant your bushes through the hole. Then layer on grass, leaves, and compost in thick layers, about two inches each, and repeat until the materials run out. For best results, you’ll want to do this at least twice.

The thick mat of material not only smothers weeds, it buries seeds so future weeds are less of a problem. You may be surprised at first by the height of your bed. Give it time. Busy soil organisms will quickly shrink the pile of organic material. For now, finish off your heap with some fresh topsoil or well-aged compost if you want to plant right away. Or just let it sit and allow nature to take its course. Over time all those grass clippings and shredded leaves will decompose and morph into soil. Once it does, weed out any fresh green sprouts, and start planting.

2. Minimal to no tillage.

Breaking down soil with a rototiller is a truly effective way to tear out lawn and weeds, and it used to be one of my favorite farming activities. But then I learned it’s also an efficient way to destroy good soil structure, exposing stable soil carbon and releasing it back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. So I’ve given up tilling, mostly. To create a new bed, I now use a spade, hoe, and potato fork to dig up clumps of sod until the ground is bare rather than a rototiller. This can take a lot of work. The good news is you’ll only have to do it once. 

After clearing out the grass and weeds, you’ll need to loosen and aerate the soil. This lets air and water enter the soil more easily so soil organisms have plenty of pockets of space to call home. Take a shovel and dig a trench along the edge of your new bed, dumping the soil in a wheelbarrow if you have one. Fill the trench by digging a new one right next to the first. As you dig the second trench, toss the soil into the first one. Repeat this process until the entire bed has been trenched and filled. After digging your final trench, fill it with the soil you set aside in the wheelbarrow. Now that all the soil has been loosened, level the bed with a rake, and it’s ready to go.

3. Just add soil.

There’s another way to prepare your planting bed: add more soil. But it’s not quite that easy. First, you’ll have to clear off the grass and weeds, as described above. Then shovel on soil from anywhere in your yard. If you don’t have much soil -- maybe your yard is too weedy, hard to dig up, or just not all that big -- buy a few bags of it from your local garden center. Make sure any soil you buy is dark brown and clear of debris. Add enough of it so your bed is three to eight inches high. Any higher and you run the risk of having soil wash away during big storms or intense rainfall, plus, it may dry out more quickly.

Prime your soil with compost.

Once you’ve eliminated any weeds and grass and built your bed, it’s time to jump-start the growing process by working compost into the top three inches of your soil. Compost is decomposed organic material that can work miracles in a garden. One small handful teems with millions of beneficial soil dwellers, from the tiniest decomposer microbes to nutrient-recycling nematodes and, larger still, soil-moving earthworms. All of these eat carbon for energy and, in the process, break down organic matter into plant-available nutrients that help you grow tasty crops. In addition, these creatures give your soil a porous, open structure so water can penetrate, instead of running off.

Note: You won’t have to add more compost during the planting process if you’ve opted to use sheet mulching or good soil from a gardening store. But you’ll still want to refresh your beds with compost each spring after your garden is established.

Have a gardening question? Send it to: ClimateVictoryGarden@GreenAmerica.org.

Or, post it on the Climate Victory Garden facebook group.

Visit our FAQ page to learn practical skills and become more familiar with carbon sequestration and growing healthy food (and soil!). 

Written by Acadia Tucker, a regenerative farmer, climate activist, and author of Growing Perennial Foods: A field guide to raising resilient herbs, fruits & vegetables and Growing Good Food: A citizen's guide to backyard carbon farming.

Back to Soil SuperHeroes

Nourishing Soils to Nourish People

Soil SuperHeroes exist at all levels of the food and agriculture supply chains. And, while the conversation often focuses on producers—farmers and ranchers for example—there is also potential for huge, systemic changes by the companies that bring food to the market. These companies are important links between soil and the dinner table. Or, in the case of MegaFood, the medicine cabinet! 

Eating well is crucial for human health, and if you’re taking vitamins or supplements, it’s important to ensure these are sourced from nutritious, whole foods. If these vitamins also help support farmers and an agriculture that’s good for the planet, even better. MegaFood, a vitamin and supplement company, has long had a commitment to sourcing non-GMO and organic, is also a leader in the  supplement sector for its commitment to regenerative farming that supports soil health.

Sara Newmark, VP of Social Impact at the MegaFood, speaks to this: “We have a commitment to nourish, and you can’t nourish people without nourishing our soil.”

Involvement of companies like MegaFood is so important in the world of regenerative agriculture right now. Farmers may be interested in building their soil health and adopting regenerative practices, but this involves an investment of time and money, not to mention the fact that improving the soil can be a slow process and one that’s potentially risky during the transition. Companies send a strong message to famers when they say: we understand this situation and value your extra efforts.

Working Directly With Farmers

MegaFoods has a direct relationship with their farmers, providing support and a guaranteed market for their regeneratively-grown produce. They’ve developed a standard for sourcing the ingredients that go into their vitamins, which focuses on the trifecta of building healthy soils, conserving resources, and supporting livelihoods in regenerative agriculture. 

This grassroots effort tackles many of the social and environmental issues that plague the food and agriculture industry. At a time when climate change poses a very serious and existential threat to life on earth, it’s important that solutions are explored and developed at all levels of the economy and in all sectors. Agriculture is a major source of the greenhouse gases that cause climate change, and regenerative agriculture has great potential to help fix this. Half of the world’s soil organic carbon has been released into the atmosphere through conventional agriculture. Regenerative agriculture recaptures this carbon in the soil, fighting climate change and ensuring healthy crops. Or, as Newmark puts it, “We know the soil has the ability to heal our planet, and that healthy soil leads to more nutrient dense foods.”

The next step? Widespread, global adoption of these methods and bringing regeneratively grown products into the mainstream. “We want to align food companies and farmers in addressing the climate crisis by encouraging all agricultural supply chains to take concrete and measurable, outcome-based steps to build soil health and sequester carbon.” This big-picture, systemic thinking is crucial for the scale of change needed to fight climate change in time. And, MegaFood is leading by example. 

The Soil Carbon Initiative, a partnership between MegaFood, Green America, The Carbon Underground, Danone North America, NSF International, Ben & Jerry’s, and 150 additional stakeholders, is working on creating a global standard to measure and show progress towards soil health. “There is urgency around moving all of agriculture to a system that stores carbon and builds healthy soil. The goal of this standard is to make it accessible AND defendable, so that we can allow for rapid adoption across all farming systems. Afterall, we don't have much time left.”

We have some good news on the animal welfare front. In response to consumer and investor pressure, Darden companies, which owns Olive Garden and many other restaurant chains, agreed to take several important steps forward to ensure better treatment of animals in its supply chain.

Darden has agreed to take the following steps to improve animal welfare:

• purchase chicken raised without the use of medically important antibiotics by 2023,
• source pork products from suppliers that do not use gestation crates to confine pregnant sows by 2025, and
• continue to source all egg products from cage-free producers.

Eutree is a lumber supplier and sawmill revolutionizing the way flooring and hardwood products are sourced, processed and supplied. Our timber isn't logged out of forests. Instead, we help urban tree services divert beautiful hardwood specimens from becoming waste. That's why we call our products "Forest Free" (to qualify as Forest Free a tree must have been removed for a reason other than its lumber).

A core belief of our company is that being ecologically minded should not be complicated, difficult, or expensive for anyone. By embracing new ideas, systems and partnerships, true sustainability can become less of a fad and more of an inherent way of life. At the same time, we’re fulfilling a market need for sustainably produced hardwood flooring and other products, at an affordable price. And, the local sourcing fulfills a common goal of green-building certification programs like LEED and EarthCraft.

As part of our Root-to-Fruit program, Eutree’s use of lumber sourced from urban sites is creating an opportunity for dialogue with architects and builders about the critical role of materials in sustainable design projects. Because optimizing the usefulness and economy of materials is a primary component of sustainable design, each locally sourced tree is selected for a specific purpose. This selection criteria is a core value of Eutree’s that allows for intentional design of a product that goes into a home or building.

Back to Soil SuperHeroes

Expert Talks Principles of Soil Health

A shift in agriculture can make farmers stewards of the land again, just ask Steve Tucker, a dryland farmer in Venango, NE who uses regenerative agricultural practices. Steve believes the healthier the soil, the healthier the plants, the healthier we are as people. Soil health is essential to the way we live. Tucker says “When the soil is better, the impact goes up and down the line, whether it’s the biology in the soil, the wildlife out in the field, or the end product that’s going to a consumer to eat—diversity helps feed the system.”

“Regenerative ag follows the five soil health principles, with the goal of increasing soil carbon in the form of organic matter. These principles can increase soil carbon levels, until the soil reaches a point where it is cyclical’ says Tucker. The five principles are accessible methods focused on the soil: protect/cover the soil, minimize soil disturbance, plant diverse crops, keep live roots/plants in the soil, and integrate livestock into agricultural systems.

When asked how what he does differs from organic farming he stated “It is treating the soil as the source of life. It is about health and understanding the carbon cycle and how it relates to everything else.” Organic and regenerative both aim to grow food without the use of synthetic chemicals and inputs like fertilizers and pesticides, but regenerative focuses on building healthy soils rich in organic carbon, as an essential component and precursor to growing healthy foods. While the five soil principles are not inherent to organic agriculture, they’re fundamentals for regenerative.  Organic farming focuses more on non-GMO crops grown without synthetic pesticides and chemicals, which is very important, but won’t result in truly healthy soils and carbon sequestration unless regenerative practices are added to the mix.

Tucker points to integrating animals in agriculture as an example. Climate change has been shown to affect animal and human health, and soils are linked to the atmosphere by being a source of greenhouse gases. Carbon sequestration can be enhanced by improved management practices like no tilling, cover cropping, and encouraging biodiversity to name a few. Tucker believes that integrating livestock is essential for carbon sequestration in agriculture as it provides essential building blocks and restores ancient processes necessary for great soil health. “It’s not only a great principle but it helps implement a plan b strategy. If something should fail, I would easily be able to move the cows to a different location if necessary.”

Regenerative agriculture is not new to Tucker. He has been farming regeneratively for about 25 years, admitting that the transition has been slow but worth it as he has seen his profit margins increase. Steve has become such an expert that many farmers seek advice from him as they too make the transition from conventional or organic to regenerative agriculture. One of his goals is to educate farmers on building soil health and what this may look like for each individual farmer, as it will differ from yield to location to climate. “For me, it’s about benefitting the soil microorganisms, because that world is so unexplored. One of my goals is to find a way to remove all synthetic inputs from the system, which will benefit the health of our soil and produce more nutrient dense food.”

By: Jillian Semaan

Green America  

Back to Soil SuperHeroes

I come from a long line of farmers. For several generations, my family farmed the rich soil in the Central Ohio countryside to feed their community and family. My grandfather was very influential in my early years and taught me about the land and the plants that grew there. He was a huge fan of composting lawn waste and food scraps and was "organic" and “regenerative” minded before they coined those terms. He paid me 5 cents for each weed that I would pull (roots and all), and I always looked forward to working in the yard alongside him. It was there, that I learned many of my first lessons in gardening, and the seed of Moss Haven Elementary Farm was born.

When I grew up, I followed my heart and love of children into the profession of teaching. As a teacher, I constantly looked for opportunities to connect learning objectives with the natural world and take my students outside. As luck would have it, when a group of parents wanted to start a school garden, they invited me to join in the committee work. When our program began to grow, I was able to retire from classroom life and work full time in the dirt. It dawned on me that this was my true passion, combining my love of teaching with the garden.

Moss Haven Farm is a non-profit on the campus of Moss Haven Elementary in Dallas, Texas. Our program has grown to include 25 raised beds, a large farm field where our 500 students grow and harvest food for the North Texas Food Bank, a chicken coop, compost area, native plant area, and a pocket prairie. All K-6 students receive weekly grade-level garden curriculum on our urban farm. Students use organic farming and gardening practices, which complement and inform their learning about ecology and biology in the classroom. These lessons encourage and foster understanding of living systems that we hope they will carry into the future and off the field.

Farming in the south gives us year-round opportunities to grow food, so our soil is always covered with crops, a major tenet of regenerative agriculture and Climate Victory Gardening. In January, we grow cool season food like garlic, onion, swiss chard, kale, turnips, beets, and carrots. In February, we plant potatoes. In mid-March, after the threat of a freeze, we put our tomatoes in the ground, and as we head into spring, okra, peppers, squash, eggplant, and field peas go in. Our students come alive on the farm, and it’s so fun to see them associating healthy food with the outdoors and the care it takes to nurture the plants

Just like in the days of my grandfather, many hands make light work. We have a Garden Team, who helps with funding, events, social media, and digging on workdays. Connecting with other organizations has helped with the sustainability of our program too. Our partners include Richardson ISD,  Slow Food USA, American Heart Association, USDA, Dallas County Master Gardeners, North Texas Food Bank, Grow North Texas, and Bonnie Plants, as well as local service organizations and our community. Not only are these partnerships helpful, they’re a necessity for supporting our efforts to teach students, grow healthy food, and sequester carbon in our soils.  

This year we are entering our 8th year at Moss Haven Farm. Our program has made an impact on everyone involved, from the little preschool groups who visit, to our students, staff, and parents. Through this experience, I have become involved in the local food system, working with the Farmers Market Friends, Slow Food DFW, and Grow North Texas. Slow Food USA has given me opportunities to represent the United States as an ambassador and learn from others around the world. Most recently, I was named Slow Food USA School Garden Co-Chair and work on policy, procedures, curriculum, and mentoring throughout the United States, pushing my reach and impact much farther than our school garden. It’s my goal to advocate for and teach the next generation about regenerative farming and gardening practices, so they can continue to grow food and inspire others, like my grandfather did.

School garden programs take an enormous amount of work and the average school garden in America only lasts about two years. Many factors play into this. It is relatively easy to get a garden up and growing, but maintenance is tricky. Teachers, who are the busiest people on the planet, do not have time to commit to keeping a garden alive but are an important piece of the program, since they are experts at curriculum and connecting it to the garden. We have found that a team effort is critical to keeping a garden program alive and well. If someone moves or is unavailable, there are several other team members who can lend a hand. Connecting a community this way, also builds buy-in and a support system that can lead a program to sustainability. This is all important because it increases the number of people involved in the stewardship and fostering of living, regenerative systems in their own backyards. 

Changing the food system and improving the environment is a passion of mine, and I truly believe that educating the little ones is the way that we can change our broken systems to become more regenerative and resilient. Change happens in the garden, where children can physically experience the lessons we’re trying to teach and the values we’re encouraging. Hard work and fun combine here to inspire. I am believer in practices of regenerative agriculture. I work each day to teach and inspire my students to follow along, care for the earth, and each other. 

You can find Kim at:

FarmerKimAman@gmail.com

https://www.mosshavenfarm.org

https://www.facebook.com/MossHavenFarm/

https://www.instagram.com/thefarmerkim/

https://www.instagram.com/mosshavenfarm/

Back to Soil SuperHeroes

Indiana farmer offers practical example of how soil health can transform agriculture

By: Ken Roseboro

Organic and Non GMO Report 

Rick Clark uses non-GMO seeds, crop diversity, and “farming green” to regenerate soils, reduce pesticides, and produce profitable crops 

When yogurt maker Danone North America announced in 2016 that it would transition its products to non-GMO verified, they had to rely on farmers to provide non-GMO feed for the dairy cows that produce milk for its yogurt. One of those farmers is Rick Clark, a fifth generation farmer in Warren County, Indiana.

Clark produces non-GMO corn for Danone but he does much more than that. He has developed a unique system for building soil health, while producing profitable cash crops. Clark’s farm offers a practical, proven example of how regenerative farming methods can transform agriculture.

Rick Clark’s family has lived on the farm since the 1880s. Today it encompasses 7000 acres. Like many large Midwest farms, Clark’s farm produces corn and soybeans. But the similarities end there. Clark uses diverse crop rotations, which help to reduce weeds and insects, while also reducing the need for chemical pesticides.

“Diversification drives the system,” he says.

One-third of his farm is in a three-year rotation with corn, soybeans, and wheat. Another third is in a four-year crop rotation—corn, soybeans, wheat, and alfalfa—for a dairy that produces milk for Danone. The final third is in transition to organic. Clark has planted all non-GMO crops since 2014 when a nearby dairy asked him to grow non-GMO corn for feed. This led to his partnership with Danone.

“Within 36 hours of the truck leaving the dairy, the milk is processed into a cup of non-GMO yogurt,” Clark says. Danone pays Clark a premium for growing non-GMO corn.

Clark also sells non-GMO alfalfa to the dairy and grows non-GMO soybeans and sells them for a premium price to a Cargill facility in Lafayette, Indiana. Non-GMO seed is cheaper and yields as much as GMO seed, according to Clark.

Beyond the economic incentives, Clark says: “I just prefer to not plant GMO seed, and I want to have a symbiotic relationship with Mother Nature.” The symbiotic relationship Clark refers to focuses on building the health and fertility of his soil. “I care deeply about building soil health and will sacrifice yield to maintain soil health,” he says.

Cover crop mixes and “farming green”

To build soil health, Clark plants diverse “cocktails” of cover crops and practices no-till farming by not plowing his fields, which disturbs the soil. He has planted cover crops for the past 10 years and practiced no-till farming with corn for 10 years and soybeans for 15 years.

Clark plants a mixture of cover crops in the fall before the next spring’s corn planting. He calls the mixture “gunslinger,” and it includes five crops that each performs a necessary function for soil health. Haywire forage oats build biomass to protect the soil, sorghum sudangrass promotes the growth of beneficial mycorrhizal fungi, tillage radish helps break up compacted soil, and Austrian winter peas and balansa clover add nitrogen, an essential nutrient.

As with his main cash crops, Clark emphasizes the importance of cover crop diversity. “I’m going to put out as many things as I possibly can in that cocktail for diversification. “We can fall into a trap of a monoculture in cover crops just like we can fall into a trap of monoculture in cash crops.”

Clark also plants cover crops such as cereal rye in the fall before planting soybeans the next spring. He plants corn and soybeans directly into the cover crops in the spring, a practice he calls “farming green.” “We will not plant our corn or soybean crops unless it is into green growing cover crops,” he says. Clark plants earlier maturing varieties of corn and soybeans in the spring so he can harvest and plant cover crops earlier in the fall.

He has seen many other benefits from farming green. These include regenerating and preserving nutrients in the soil, adding nitrogen to the soil, preventing soil erosion, increasing biomass to add “armor” to the soil, reducing water evaporation, and suppressing weeds.

Clark has also dramatically decreased the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

“We use no seed treatments, no insecticides, and no fungicides. We are to the point where we have nearly eliminated synthetic fertilizers. We only use a little nitrogen on our non-GMO crops. So our cost of production is extremely low.”

Meanwhile, his crop yields are high. “We’re extremely profitable,” Clark says.

Transitioning 1/3 of farm to organic

After reducing chemical inputs, the next logical step would be to grow organic, and Clark is doing that for the “challenge.”

“I also want to continue to make the farm better for the next generation,” he says.He is transitioning 2000 acres and will have 400 acres certified organic this June. He plans to grow organic corn using his system of cover crops and no-till. Clark admits that practicing no-till in organic is a challenge. Few organic farmers practice no-till farming; many continue to plow their fields to eliminate weeds. “Some people think this (no-till organic) sounds crazy, but that’s normal for me,” Clark says. “If I can get this figured out, it should be a pretty big deal.” 

Many farmers who convert to organic face challenges selling their transitional crops, but Clark has an advantage. “I can use alfalfa as my transition acres. It is easy to grow and I can sell it to the dairy.” Clark is confident he can produce strong yields of organic corn this year, his first producing a certified organic crop. “At $10 a bushel (paid for organic corn) that is quite a return on your investment,” he says.

Regenerative, not sustainable agriculture

Regenerative agriculture with its focus on soil health is a major trend, and Rick Clark is on the leading edge. He doesn’t use the word “sustainable.” “That means staying the same,” he says. “I prefer the word ‘regenerative,’ and I have a systematic approach to regenerative farming.”

He defines soil health simply as “decreasing inputs and increasing yield.” “If your inputs are going down, and your yields are going up, how can you not be building soil health? And that is exactly what this farm is doing.”

Regenerative agriculture is about creating balance. “The fungus to bacteria ratio is getting in balance. Predator to prey insects is getting in balance. That is why I don’t need to use insecticides. I don’t have the imbalance of corn rootworm eating my roots,” he says. “I have the predator that preys on corn rootworm in my system.”

Rick Clark’s success has been recognized. In 2017, he was honored as Danone’s Sustainable Farmer of the Year. More recently, Land O’ Lakes honored him with an Outstanding Sustainability Award, and he was also a regional winner of the American Soybean Association’s Conservation Legacy Award.

Clark’s farm was also chosen, along with 15 other farms in the U.S., to be researched by soil health experts as part of Danone North America’s $6 million soil health research project. The project aims to identify ways to regenerate soils and provide training in soil health best practices to farmers.

Clark is happy to share his knowledge of regenerative agriculture with other farmers. He is often asked to speak at conferences such at the National No-Till Conference this past January in Indianapolis. Soil health is gaining traction among farmers nationwide, and he is confident that others can succeed as he has. He says he “wants to help people.” 

 “What I like about this is that I’m just a farmer in Indiana, and if other farmers have a plan and care about building soil health they can achieve these things too.” 

© Copyright The Organic & Non-GMO Report,  March/April 2019

Supporting local green businesses and as well as encouraging and helping other businesses to find ways to reduce their environmental impact. Thus the social and environmental impact is less in the D.C., VA. MD region.

Chocolate bunnies, cute baby animals, brightly colored eggs – these are just some of the cheery images that Easter may conjure up for you. Yet there are dark secrets behind what goes into some of your favorite Easter chocolate treats. Whether you’re observing Easter for religious reasons, making an Easter basket for fun, or simply waiting for Easter candy to go on sale the day after, here are a few things that may have gone into your chocolate. And don’t forget to check out our Chocolate Scorecard to see how your favorite chocolate companies compare when it comes to being good on your taste buds – and being good for farmers with free trade infrastructure. 

Child Labor 

It has been almost two decades since the dark truth of chocolate came out: that child labor was pervasive throughout the cocoa industry, and our chocolate treats were produced by child laborers. Today, there are still over two million children working hazardous jobs, like applying pesticides or carrying heavy loads, in cocoa fields in Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire. Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire are the two largest producers of cocoa, accounting for about 60% of the global cocoa market. 

Two million children. That’s the equivalent of all of the children in the state of Michigan.  

And while most major companies have made commitments to source more certified cocoa (e.g. Fairtrade, UTZ, or Rainforest Alliance), certification alone is not enough to address underlying issues that contribute to child labor, such as farmer poverty and lack of infrastructure.  

Deforestation 

Historically, cocoa farmers have cleared out forest areas to grow cocoa. Once the cocoa trees grow old, farmers move to a different region and begin the process again. But 90% of West Africa’s forests are gone – and a landmark report from the environmental NGO Mighty Earth found that cocoa was a main driver of this. Mighty Earth also found that cocoa that was illegally grown in protected forests was found in most major chocolate companies’ supply chains. 

Most major companies have made pledges to end deforestation in cocoa through the Cocoa and Forests Initiative, making commitments to no new deforestation and increasing reforestation and traceability efforts in Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire. Although a promising step, it is crucial for the commitments to be expanded worldwide. Furthermore, in December 2018, a year after the initial CFI commitment to stop deforestation in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana, Mighty Earth found that deforestation was still occurring. 

Forced Labor 

The International Cocoa Initiative and Verite recently published a report on forced labor in the cocoa sector of Cote d’Ivoire. Cote d’Ivoire produces about 40% of the world’s cocoa supply. A study published by Tulane University and Walk Free Foundation estimated that 0.42% of adults in Cote d’Ivoire were involved in forced labor, although due to the hidden nature of forced labor and human trafficking, along with size of the cocoa industry in Cote d’Ivoire, the actual number may be higher. Ethically made chocolate is a crucial ingredient in good chocolate, so make sure to buy free trade chocolate.  

The Verite report found that migrant workers from Burkina Faso, Mali, and non-cocoa producing regions of Cote d’Ivoire – both adults and children – were most at risk of forced labor. Workers were susceptible to deceptive recruitment, debt bondage, and non-payment of wages. Workers who had to rely on employers for multiple necessities in addition to work, such as housing or food, were also more vulnerable. Wages could be as low as $150 USD for a year’s worth of work – and workers may get hit with wage deductions when they’re paid at the end of harvest season, or not get paid at all.  

I’m looking for some chocolate to fill my basket – what should I look for? 

The good news is not all chocolate is created equal.  Some chocolate companies are leaders in treating workers and the environment well, and produce delicious chocolate. 

Check out Green America’s Chocolate Scorecard to see how the major companies compare when it comes to their efforts to address child labor – and learn about some of the sustainable companies that are doing more for people and planet. Shop from Green America Business Network members, as they have to pass our standards for social and environmental responsibility to become members. And finally, look for chocolates who have certifications such as Fairtrade, Fair For Life, or Rainforest Alliance when you go shopping – although certifications alone cannot solve the underlying reasons for the challenges facing the cocoa industry, they are still a helpful tool for companies and consumers. 

Amazon dominates online retail in the US and cloud-based computing. But the company has not been a leader on climate change, only reluctantly adopting a 100 percent clean energy target for powering its massive servers after pressure from Greenpeace and Green America.

The big problem with Amazon’s sustainability commitment is that the corporate giant never said when it would get to 100 percent renewable, clean energy, unlike many other tech companies who set clear targets and already achieved them.

Over the past four years, with continued consumer pressure, Amazon has slowly moved to using 50 percent clean energy, but then that progress stalled. Greenpeace recently issued a scathing report that called out Amazon for continuing to build servers in Virginia that are powered by fossil fuels.

Now, Amazon’s commitment to a cleaner cloud is being called further into question. Online tech news site Gizmodo just published an explosive exposé showing that Amazon is actively courting business from the largest oil and gas companies to put the power of Amazon’s giant servers to work to make it easier to drill for fossil fuels. Amazon aims to make millions or billions of dollars. The resulting climate impacts will exact a huge cost on all the rest of us, in the form of extreme weather, failing crops, and social instability.

Amazon did announce a handful of new windfarms this week as well.  But only one of them is in the US, and it will not be enough to get Amazon anywhere near 100 percent clean energy soon.

Amazon's failure to take climate change seriously was highlighted in a rare public letter signed onto by 4,500 company employees calling on the company to do more to add clean energy, green the company's delivery fleet, provide meaningful climate targets, and be more transparent.  Despite this rousing call from his own employee's, Jeff Bezos' annual letter to shareholders, issued the day after the employee letter, fails to mention climate change or clean energy.

We Need to Use Our Collective Consumer Power to Move Amazon

So, the record is clear.  We can’t trust Amazon to address climate change.  So, what can we do?

1. Take our business elsewhere. Before Amazon, we all somehow managed to get the things we needed in life.  And, if we break free of shopping on Amazon, we would likely buy less stuff, and direct our purchases to more small and green retailers.

2. Cancel Amazon Prime if you have it.  Amazon Prime, with its free shipping, is the hook that keeps us going back to Amazon.  If you cancel Prime, you’ll be less inclined to shop with Amazon.

3. Share the news with friends. The more people who hear that Amazon is not a responsible company, the more people who will take their shopping elsewhere. After you take the action below, share that too. 

4. Take our new action on Amazon. We’re asking the company to get to 100 percent clean energy and drop its support for the oil and gas industry. 

The only way a company like Amazon improves is by hearing its customers are concerned. So make sure to use your consumer power to let Amazon know you expect more from the company.  

Ready to ditch your lawn and embrace the joy of growing veggies and playing in the dirt? Great! Your gut, your social life, your pocketbook, and your planet will thank you. Here are 5 reasons a Climate Victory Garden are better than a traditional lawn:

1. You can eat it! Grow your favorite foods in a Climate Victory Garden. 

via GIPHY

Your garden can grow half a pound of produce per square foot. That could mean saving hundreds of dollars on your grocery bills. Good tasting, good for you.

2. You don’t have to mow it. 

via Gfycat

Mowing the lawn is such a chore. And, mowers are major polluters. With a garden instead of a lawn, you can say goodbye to mowing and hello to fresh food. 

3. You can ditch the chemicals in your Climate Victory Garden.

via GIPHY

Lawns are often associated with loads of unnecessary fertilizers and herbicides, but gardens do best when grown regeneratively. That means no chemicals in your yard, food, and home.

4. It’ll help you make friends. 

via GIPHY

Gardens mean time outside. Neighbors and passers-by will stop to say hello. Share your bounty with friends. Join garden networks. Spend time in your community. Get ready for garden parties galore.

5. You can fight climate change instead of contributing to it.

via GIPHY

Lawn mowing and chemical use contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. But, healthy gardens can actually store carbon underground for healthier soils and a cooler climate. Think big!

In World War II, millions of Americans planted Victory Gardens to support the war efforts. Now, we can ditch our lawns and plant Climate Victory Gardens to reverse climate change. It’s worked before, and it can work again! This spring, choose a Climate Victory Garden over a lawn! 

We have some good news on the animal welfare front. In response to consumer and investor pressure, Darden companies, which owns Olive Garden and many other restaurant chains, agreed to take several important steps forward to ensure better treatment of animals in its supply chain.

Olive Garden has agreed to take the following steps to improve animal welfare:

• purchase chicken raised without the use of medically important antibiotics by 2023,
• source pork products from suppliers that do not use gestation crates to confine pregnant sows by 2025, and
• continue to source all egg products from cage-free producers.

While these steps do not put Darden in a leadership position within the industry, they mark an important move in the right direction for the Fortune 500 company with over 1,500 restaurants nationwide.

Consumer and Investor Pressure Pay Off

Green America joined with allies in the Good Food Now Campaign to pressure Darden to purchase foods that are better for the environment and animal welfare, and are sourced locally, and to improve working conditions and pay for its over 150,000 employees.  Thousands of Green Americans took action with us to reach out to Darden and joined protests at their restaurants. In addition, Green Century Funds, a Green America Business Member, engaged in a multi-year dialogue and filed shareholder resolutions with Darden to get them to address antibiotic abuse in their supply chain.

Darden clearly has a long way to go to become a more responsible restaurant chain, but if you are a customer of any of their restaurants, please let them know you are pleased with this first step and would like to see them do more to protect people and the planet – including sourcing local and organic foods and better pay for their employees.

Support Green and Local Restaurants

And, if you are looking to use your consumer dollars to support greener options, check out these restaurants from our GreenPages.org, or support locally-owned restaurants in your community, particularly if they use organic and local ingredients.

Washington DC (April 4, 2019)

The Soil Carbon Initiative (SCI), a collaboration of over 150 farmer, brand and soil science stakeholders, including The Carbon Underground and Green America, Ben & Jerry’s (Unilever), Danone North America, and MegaFood, seeks public comment on a new outcomes-based agricultural standard for food and fiber. SCI’s standard, developed with NSF International, seeks to encourage everyone who touches the soil to improve soil health and increase carbon drawdown. The public comment period for the draft standard closes May 6, 2019 at 5 PM EST. The standard draft and submission form for public comment are available at soilclimateinitiative.org.

The negative impact on soil from conventional agriculture not only diminishes its ability to grow food, but leads to severe loss of top soil itself — estimated to cost the US alone more than a trillion dollars a year. It’s also been identified as a major cause of climate change. Soil and climate experts tell us, however, that restoring soil health— and its natural ability to draw back down atmospheric carbon— might be the best chance we have at reversing climate change.

The Soil Carbon Initiative’s new outcome-based verified standard will give both food producers and manufacturers the ability to measure and motivate soil health improvements to help farmers and supply chains transition to more regenerative agriculture, which can restore and maintain both soil and climate health. The SCI standard is designed to be easy and inclusive. Producers in any system – conventional, organic, Non-GMO, biodynamic – are eligible for SCI Verification. Based on demonstrated soil health and carbon sequestration results, the SCI standard rewards commitment to improve, ongoing improvement, and achievement in soil health and carbon sequestration.

For more information, please visit www.soilclimateinitiative.org. To sign up for updates, contact Randi Fiat at rfiat@thecarbonunderground.org or Sarah Andrysiak at sandrysiak@greenamerica.org.

About The Carbon Underground
The Carbon Underground was created to accelerate the restoration of soil and the transformation of agriculture to regenerative practices that will mitigate climate change, support farmers, and improve supply chains, food quality and food security around the world. By working with businesses, scientists, governments and food producers The Carbon Underground creates and manages programs to reverse the threats of climate change, stop topsoil loss, and reduce supply chain stress. www.thecarbonunderground.org

About Green America
Green America is the nation’s leading green economy organization. Founded in 1982, Green America provides the economic strategies, organizing power, and practical tools for consumers, businesses and investors to solve today’s social and environmental problems. Green America’s Center for Sustainable Solutions brings together diverse groups of stakeholders to solve the complex sustainability problems that no individual business, organization, or leader can solve alone www.greenamerica.org www.centerforsustainabilitysolutions.org

The spring shareholder season is well-underway, with nearly 400 shareholder resolutions filed at publicly traded corporations on a broad array of social, environmental, and corporate governance issues. 

If you own company stock directly, rather than through a mutual fund, you can vote on the resolutions coming before the company. (Mutual fund investors – see the note below.) Don’t toss aside those shareholder mailings – even if they look arduous. Voting your proxies is an important responsibility of stock ownership and allows you to express your agreement or disagreement on key issues facing the company. Be sure to read your proxy ballots carefully – there may be issues you don’t want to miss voting on. 

Did you know: 

• Bank of America and Facebook are among the companies facing a resolution on gender and minority pay disparity?  
• Chevron is facing a resolution on the human right to water? 
• Duke Energy investors can vote on the need for a report on coal risks? 
• ExxonMobil is one of many companies where shareholders can vote on a resolution seeking a report on its election spending? 
• Wal-Mart investors can vote to support adoption of a policy on prison labor in the company’s supply chain? 

Concerned investors have filed these and many other resolutions to urge companies to improve their practices and policies in crucial ways affecting people and the planet. We’ve highlighted a number of the companies and some of the resolutions before them to give you a snapshot of the spring proxy votes. 

 For information on recent shareholder trends and background on the resolutions you may see on your proxy ballots, be sure to download your free copy of the 2019 Proxy Preview. Green America is pleased to co-sponsor this report -- it is truly a must-read for investors who want to understand the scope of the proxy season on social, environmental, and corporate governance concerns. 

Not sure how to interpret your proxy ballot? Our infographic can help! 

Support for key resolutions affecting people and the planet is growing, with average support now exceeding 25%. As a reminder, double-digit support for these resolutions is enough to send a strong message to the company. It only takes 3% support to allow a new resolution to be brought before a company again, 6% support in the second year, and 10% support in the third year. 

If you follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, you'll see our campaign to raise awareness for the importance of voting your proxies. Please share posts that convey why you vote, to encourage others to do the same. Go to the resolution list, and click on the "I voted!" digital sticker to share and let people know you're proud to raise your voice on important issues as a shareholder.  

So whenever your proxy ballots arrive -- be sure to vote your proxies and vote your values! 

Note to mutual fund investors: If you own mutual funds, the fund manager does the proxy voting for you. Since you are the share owner, however, it’s important to know how your fund company is voting on your behalf and to decide if you agree with those votes. On the fund company’s website, at the SEC’s website, or by calling investor relations at the fund company you can obtain a record of the actual votes cast by the fund company. If you disagree with the votes be sure to let the fund manager know. As the 2019 Proxy Preview notes, a number of mutual funds are now voting their proxies in support of shareholder resolutions on climate change, gun control, and the opioid crisis. Be sure your fund manager is voting in support of your values and not against them!  

Contact Sustainable Wealth Advisors: Website | LinkedIn 

Harry Moran founded Sustainable Wealth Advisors in 2011 to help clients align their investments with their values. Sustainable Wealth Advisors specializes in socially-responsible investing (SRI), which integrates social and environmental concerns with your investment decisions to make your money support positive change.

At his previous firm, Moran was the only advisor doing sustainable investment work. While his firm supported him, Moran found that their products, services, and the clients they attracted did not prioritize impact investing as much as he wanted – so he began Sustainable Wealth Advisors. Now, his clients can rest assured that Sustainable Wealth Advisors will show them how to put their money where it matters.

Moran is highly committed to impact investing work and has decades of expertise to back every client interaction. These exchanges are special because he seeks to marry financial security with individual values, something that is still a growing trend in the investment world. “I think I understand how we combine the art and the science to make sure that people can invest with their values, but do so in a way that works financially,” says Moran.

“For each of our clients, that looks a little bit different,” he says, since each one is unique. “It has a positive impact on our clients personally, because many people who are concerned about these [social and environmental] issues are conflicted about what they’re doing with their money. When people understand – despite the messages that are out there – that they can align their money with their values and still meet their goals, it’s kind of an epiphany.”

For many clients, Sustainable Wealth Advisors is a starting point for impact investing; however, Moran believes it is more of a catalyst to further social- and eco-responsibility. “As people invest in more sustainable enterprises, they support those business models and give those companies the funding they need to grow and prosper,” he says. “And all investors who invest this way have a growing influence with companies when it comes to talking with management and boards of directors.”

To learn more or contact Sustainable Wealth Advisors, find them on GreenPages.org or their website. Sustainable Wealth Advisors is a certified Green Business Network member.

Original Source links are for use in footer, topmost banner, and right-side orange Menu

A big thank you to everyone who attended our webinar Designing for Abundance: Planning your Climate Victory Garden, with Nicky Schauder of Permaculture Gardens. We had so many great questions come out of that session, and many that we weren’t able to answer in the time allotted. You can find questions and answers below. If you have more questions or comments, please post them to our Facebook group or email us at ClimateVictoryGarden@GreenAmerica.org. 

Raised Garden Beds

• If you're only working with raised garden beds, are swales or other permaculture methods necessary? Permaculture methods often prefer to look at the whole picture, your entire property and the adjacent properties, for example. But, we understand that many people focus their efforts on raised beds. Permaculture methods can be applied on the small scale, in beds in many cases. Take swales for example: you can still look at your garden beds to figure out where the water may be pooling and create channels to redirect and better distribute the water. Similarly, you may notice patterns around your raised beds. Using swales again as the example, you may find that water gathers or runs off at different points around your bed. Remedying this means less muddy boots and less potential for erosion or rot to ruin your beds. 
• Is it necessary to test the soil if you're using raised beds? Soil testing can help you learn about the mineral/nutrient distribution in your soils, while also identifying possible toxins. If you’re growing in a raised garden bed with soils you know to be safe (e.g. from a trusted or tested source), then there’s no need to test soils, but you can do it if you’re curious about providing a happy balance for your plants. If you’re concerned about the toxicity of soil under your garden bed, be sure to place a permeable layer between the bed contents and the ground. Also, there are different tests available, some that are quite inexpensive if you’re looking for basic information.
• What’s the least toxic product to paint/seal wood for a raised bed frame? Some woods are naturally rot-resistant, which make them the most natural option for building a garden bed frame. Cedar, black locust, and redwood are examples of this, with lifespans up to 15 years once exposed to the elements in your garden. There are many recipes for creating natural wood sealants using beeswax, jojoba oil, linseed oil, and others. Here are some example recipes. You might also consider other materials, like pavers.

Animals and Manure

• What should I do if I can’t integrate animals into my garden? The two main reasons we suggest animals are their fertilization and pest management potential. If you don't have animals, you can find manure either from a local farm or purchase it. You can source manure from many different animals, but these often need to be used and treated differently. Some manure—like that of poultry—is very high in nitrogen and can cause undesired effects if applied directly to plants. Other manures may contain grass and weed seeds that were not processed in the animal’s stomach. Ways to combat this are to compost, age, or otherwise treat the manures. Here’s more detailed information, broken down by animal. 

Pests

• How can design help with pest management, deer and rabbits in particular? For many animals, fencing is the best option. Deer fences need to be very tall, at least 8 feet. And, don’t forget that deer have terrible eyesight, so give them cues to see and avoid the fencing. Rabbits have the ability to dig around most fences, so you may need to bury your fencing up to a foot underground. For rabbits and other small animals, use a “chicken wire” type fencing with small holes and made from metal instead of plastic. 
• What about rats? Gardens can be very attractive to rats. However, gardens and compost piles will not sustain them if they do not contain animal proteins and carbs. So, keep these items out of the compost and keep your trash safely in bins or other hard-to-reach areas. Pet foods kept outside can also attract rats, as does vegetation right up against your external walls (where rats like to travel). This source from the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens is full of great ideas for deterring rats. 
• If my problem is too many whiteflies on kale, what's the alternative to balance them? Whiteflies are really tough! And, while it might be counterintuitive, insecticides actually make whiteflies worse because they kill the beneficial insects that eat whiteflies. So, first step is to eliminate all use of those. Infected leaves should be removed or sprayed vigorously with water. If your plants are overwintering, consider removing them entirely and replacing with a variety with less nooks and crannies for the flies to hide in (a flat leaf plant instead of a curly edged plant or dino kale for example). Keep an eye out and protect natural predators and their larvae. Neem oil can also be a good option in particularly bad infestations. 
• How do I keep the wild animals and the wind from destroying my plants in a fenceless yard? Some plants are animal resistant, but this depends on what animals you’re dealing with and where you’re located. Many fragrant plants and those with spines—things like catmint and cacti—are good for deterring pests, although animals will eat just about anything if they’re hungry. Some plants are wind resistant and others make good “wind breaks” that protect your garden, like many bushes and small trees. Many of these are inedible—except nasturtium—but make good companions to your garden.

Tilling and Soil Care

• Should we test our soil before we plant? If soil testing is getting in the way of you starting, skip the test and just get into your garden! However, if you’re at all concerned about toxins in your soil, you should test if you’re growing food. If the land was previously used for any sort of industry, a dumping ground or car lot, or if you have nearby mining, you should probably test for toxins. You can also consult a professional for advice. 
• What are the best plants to nourish the soil? This depends on your soil type and the nutrients or minerals it may be lacking (note: many soil test results will help you figure out this balance!). Commonly looked to plants include nitrogen fixers like legumes (peas, beans, etc.), because nitrogen is often the limiting ingredient in soil. Dense, low plants—like clover and other cover crops—are good for protecting soils and reducing weeds. Organic matter is good for all soils. We usually say “think: compost!” but nutrient rich plants can also be cut and left on the soil as “green manure”—comfrey is a great example of this. 
• How do I garden without tilling? The nuance here is that you may need to aerate your soil and loosen things up for a plant’s roots to penetrate. But, the more soil we can leave intact, the better. That means less disturbance to fungi and other microorganisms’ habitat, which supports healthier plants and a soil that is better at sequestering carbon. If you do mix up the soil, for example when you’re applying compost, try to stay near the surface. Gently bury worms that may have been exposed. And, plant immediately or put some sort of covering over the soil so it’s not exposed to the elements before planting. 
• How can I improve my sandy soil? How can I improve my clay soil? I love these two questions, because although you might not expect it, the answer is the same to both: increase your organic matter. In our Climate Victory Gardens, we can easily do that with compost! This balances both types of soils by helping them absorb and hold water.
• I'd like to know more about what weeds indicate about the soil. Is there a good book or other source? Weeds can tell you what’s lacking in the soil, and what may be out of balance (nutrients, composition, pH, and more. Here’s a great resource to get started: Using Weeds to Read the Soil: Some Basic Concepts to Get Started 
• What’s the best way to remediate pesticides from the soil? This is a question with an unsatisfactory answer. Testing for these types of toxins can be prohibitively expensive. The National Pesticide Information Center suggests contacting state agencies for information specific to your concern. Also consider asking your local agricultural extension agent. Many pesticides are designed to dissipate from soils after short periods of time (a few years at most), while others may be systemic (which requires soil replacement unfortunately). 

Permaculture and Other Gardening Questions

• What is "living mulch"? Living mulch is just a fancy way of saying “plants that cover the ground”. Regenerative gardening practices focus on protecting the soil and its ability to sequester carbon and grow healthy food. These are plants that grow so thickly they block weeds, reduce erosion, and may fix nitrogen or provide other benefits. Living mulch can be planted as a cover crop (the only crop at the time, used to benefit the soils) or as a companion plant (planted with other food crops, which work together to benefit each other and the soil).
• What are the most efficient ways to water? We received many questions about sprinklers. If you have an existing sprinkler system, keeping it may be the most efficient option if its water lines aren’t a concern for where your garden or deep-rooted plants will be. However, it’s important to pay close attention to ways you can reduce waste too. Make sure water is being absorbed by your soils, catch and use rainwater when you can, water during cooler times of day, and water directly instead of spraying in dry climates. 
• How much direct sunlight is required? Will the garden work in a shady yard? In fact, some plants do better in the shade! The trick is to choose the right plants. If your garden doesn’t receive at least two hours of sun or more consistent dappled sunlight, it might not be a good fit for growing vegetables. What are options for people that live in urban areas with little to no space? Join a neighbor in their efforts, find a plot in a community garden, have a container garden, or even plant on your windowsill. 
• Do you need to do crop rotation of annuals in permaculture design for vegetable garden? Yes, if you are planting annuals and want more yield, more diversity, and also fewer bugs. No, if you do not have the time and would like to establish more of a perennial system/food forest in your plot. But you have to make sure that you are constantly composting and "building soil." Trees in a food forest do not need to be rotated, only annual plant areas do. That being said, if you are a commercial grower, soil scientist Elaine Ingham did amazing work eliminating the need for crop rotation on a tomato farm (annual crop) in South Africa just by ensuring that the soil biology was balanced. 
• How can I engage young children in the garden? Set a goal with the children, and expect to get dirty! Keep a bucket near the door for peeling off wet and muddy clothes on the way back indoors. Grow hearty plants that have a quick and dramatic growth curve to keep their attention, like peas and beans. Give the children tasks and even their own responsibilities and control over “their” parts of the garden. 

Have more questions? Contact us at ClimateVictoryGarden@GreenAmerica.org or register your garden here.