1997 was a time when most heroes still existed in bigger-than-life figures. Those types of inspirational people are still important today, but so are the everyday ones. To actually take great ideas and make them reality, heroes need to come in greater numbers. The two most important to us: the growers and the eaters of organic food.

Think Different came from the edges of what is now known as Silicon Valley. Before the tech companies blossomed in Northern California those fertile slopes fed generations of Americans. Now that vital area, like a lot of America, is losing its farmland. Maybe now is the time to reverse that trend by making the valuable connections between food and innovation visible.

We believe that the ecological internet is worth our attention, and that saving it is a collective endeavor. We want to call in all of you who are making your genius matter in ways that the world might otherwise miss. We want to call in the unified field of artistic beings, all of whom are crucial to a regenerative future.

Grow Different

Farming is more than a livelihood, it is an art. At JustOne Organics we want to call attention to the farmers willing to grow differently and to everyone who supports them through their eating choices. The brilliance exhibited by farmers who are stubborn enough to transition from chemical to organic farming is inspiring. As business people we find these regenerative farmers heroic. As eaters we love the grace of their pure, healthy food. We are grateful for all those converting their acres into regenerative fields, and we are not alone.

It takes some courage to transition away from big business models of eating, just like it does in farming. It takes a certain kind of person to become a regenerative eater. To change our eating habits to be more local, organic, and plant-forward means putting in extra time — and that’s only part of the story. To eat differently we must stubbornly believe we are more than consumers, see ourselves as partners to those who make their living from agriculture. To eat differently we have to change up old recipes, and make up new ones; approach our foods with a whole new level of intention.

Our fruits and vegetables are naturally vegan, and we keep them that way so anyone and everyone can use them as tools, like paints or glitter. Through maintaining this purity, our food is suitable for every stage of life and every type of diet. We make our crystal flakes without carriers or fillers, without hidden ingredients so people can move away from eating low-quality foods that leave them tired and sick, toward high-quality foods that nourish and satisfy.

We don’t think we need to tell people what they can or ought to do to improve their health and lower their carbon imprint. We believe people like to talk to each other over delicious meals and we aim to be part of those conversations. We know that the excitement we feel for the soil, the plants and the farmers can be contagious, and we want to connect that to others who want to feel positive about their food choices. We offer these vibrant crystals because they show off nature’s true colors and tastes.

A low-carbon diet is on everyone’s lips, and our role is to offer a line of gently dried crystals that help caring farmers get their food onto the tables of equally caring eaters. We know it takes time, but every meal someone dares to eat differently, something in our food systems changes for the better. To help build that momentum towards lasting changes in our food supply we are finding ways to help people connect. Giving farmers revolutionary tools is part of what will help them transition to organic farming with greater agility and confidence. Better tools will help consumers have confidence in the food they purchase.

To that end we found partnership with the Commons Engine, an organization dedicated to powering new economic markets. With their expertise in crypto technologies we are part of a whole new dialogue around data collection and sharing between regenerative businesses. These new accounting technologies, and the distributed systems that run them are creating an entirely new platform for powering breakthroughs, for calling in genius.

Eat Different

Together, with a little help from our friends, we can provide space for relationships to blossom. We can grow together with farmers and eaters, like nature does, from a living ground of connectivity. By ushering in this flow of data, using these distributed systems, we believe that farmers and eaters can start to guide the food markets more efficiently. We believe that local and bioregional agriculture can and will grow in profitability. The time to improve the conditions for these food exchanges is now so these new markets provide for their workers and communities as part of that wealth.

We wager that solving real-world problems begins with acknowledging the invisible actions of the many. — Commons Engine

We know that the demand for a healthier planet is real. We see the numbers that say more of us are willing to pay for food that is grown with integrity. We also realize that today land is precious and costly and every square inch has to matter to make small-holder farms viable. We are here to be part of a future where the gifts of our ancient Earth are transformed into delicious new shapes and textures.

We know you’re doing a transition to a low-carbon diet, according to your individual needs and our shared values. We are here to support your genius eating style. No matter where you live, no matter your culinary skills we believe in your creativity. We believe in your wild recipes and your foraged greens. We love the way you sprinkle your meals with seeds, the way you make your own non-dairy milks. We see you five-star home chefs and food truck entrepreneurs mixing up cuisines and proteins. We see you at home and in your restaurants changing the menus through every choice to eat with more awareness.

We salute you conscious eaters, all of you.

Just like there is no one perfect way to farm, and just like everyone codes their data differently; there is no one way to eat consciously. We at JustOne Organics want you to know that we love all of you next-gen eaters. We love your social media streams and your constant snaps. We love the meals you make public and the ones you keep private. We love your elaborate dishes and we love your five-minute dinner inventions. We think your foodie choices are poetry.

You are the ones with your reusable straws and high-powered smoothies made with mushroom coffee. You are the ones with backpacks loading up heirloom vegetables at the farmers’ markets. You with your fermented foods, your minimally processed meals, your overflowing sprout bowls — you are part of the greatest story of our age. Every single one of you is a hero in this eating evolution. Every single one of you is on the dev team of a decentralized global food revolution; one that has the potential to sequester many tons of carbon.

You are transforming agriculture from one of the biggest polluters into one of the most environmentally friendly sectors. You are helping the newest technologies bring dignity back to farming. You are collectively powering a great resurgence, back to health for yourself, your neighbor and for this big, blue planet. Experiment, have even more fun, be stubborn. Ask questions, share your process; show the world that you are one of the heroes. Your micro-kale bowl with homemade avocado toast sprinkled with crystal flake apples — yea, that’s genius, and after rent, it’s affordable. Keep going. Eat Different.

Want you to let us know how you Eat Different? Are you a farmer and you want to tell us how you Grow Different? Tag us and use #NextLevelDelicious

Regenerative Eating was originally published in Awakenings 🌿 on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Within every pinch of earth there is a vast system of life incredibly rich and complex, and so easy to miss. In each pinch of soil is a living medium, a community of perfectly interdependent beings evolving the complexity and fullness of life, and yet this life escapes our eyes.

With advances in science we can see these microbial communities in ever-greater detail, even identifying their evolution through their genes. Yet the advancement of tools is only half the story when it comes to truly seeing our microbiome. Without the right perspective, we could observe the soil microbes and only notice the pathogens. Without the right sense of cooperation between all life forms, we could be missing out on the story of our microbial support system, and the richness of the food-soil web.

“In every gram of soil, there are billions of cells from tens of thousands of species that, all together, perform important Earth nutrient cycles. They are the backbone of terrestrial ecosystems, and healthy soil microbiomes are key to sustainable agriculture. — Dr. Estelle Couradeau

Under our feet this earth feels solid and unwavering, maybe a little bit passive, while in the wilderness it becomes obvious this soil is living and brimming with action. To see the Earth’s bounty we only need to look at what soil left to its own devices produces, from lush jungles to far-reaching prairies. To taste its microbial richness, we can take a sip of wine, which changes in taste based on the microbes as much as the wind. To feel the microbiome’s healing properties, we can spend an afternoon in a garden or change our diet. By eating foods raised in living soil we can rebuild our own personal microbiomes with a diversity of life often lost to antibiotics and through food farmed using chemical techniques. By changing our eating habits we can recover the microbial life that help fuel our serotonin production, making us happier.

“Mycobacterium vaccae is one organism that boosts serotonin levels in the brain to levels similarly achieved by pharmaceutical antidepressants.” — Dr. Maya Shetreat-Klein, Author of The Dirt Cure

Within the thousands of species and millions of microorganisms hidden in plain site in the soil, is a network based on cooperation and balance. This invisible, living mesh that makes up the soil’s biology has everything to offer us, including a livable planet. Soil at its living best is able to sequester carbon, reduce flooding, and increase drought tolerance. In wellness terms that collection of tiny organisms in the soil –- the microbiome — can improve accessibility and affordability of healthy food for millions by increasing crop hardiness. For each of us it can stave off depression, chronic inflammation, stress and other diseases. In each pinch of soil there is support for a more equitable, and more joyful existence for all.

“In an ideal situation, just the bacteria in your gut represent 30 thousand species.” –Dr. Zach Bush

The proof of the microbiome’s power is in its presence, not only in soil, but in us humans. Each of us houses thousands of species of microbes and the healthier we are, the more diverse and healthy they are, too. It may sound like science fiction to think of these thousands of species living inside us as useful and constantly changing, but really it has a lot to do with old wisdom found in sayings like “You are what you eat.” We are part of the earth and with every study using new techniques in science we are learning with greater depth that the earth is first and foremost a community that starts with microbes.

“Climate change is revealing the vulnerabilities of an industrial agriculture system that relies on predictability. And it’s shining a light on alternative growing practices that are potentially more resilient to these environmental shifts.” — A Time of Reckoning in the Central Valley

It can be hard to imagine the networks of known and unknown bacteria, viruses, fungi, and others working with the roots of our plants and trees. It can be hard to imagine the innumerable living microorganisms involved in converting light into leaves and stalks, at every moment, all around the world. It can be harder still to imagine similar patterns of microbial exchange taking place along our digestive systems all the way up our spines to our brains, influencing our health, mood and vitality, but that is exactly what happens. By believing in this interconnected worldview, we can support the type of world we want to see. By changing the way we can eat we can support farmers so they can convert their lands from “net emitters” to “net absorbers” of carbon.

“Soils are the basis of life,” Maria-Helena Semedo of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

Countless connections between ourselves and our microbes fuel our happiness and our resistance to disease in ways we are only discovering. We dedicate ourselves to supporting regenerative agriculture because only those practices support the natural microbial diversity alive both in the soil and in ourselves. Only regenerative agriculture rebuilds soils, individuals, and communities. Eating with the soil as life-building system in mind, we can revolutionize our health, and bring resilience back to our lands.

Healthy, living soil might be the easiest resource to miss with the naked eye, and the most important to appreciate because the benefits to us as a species are endless. Despite the many unanswered questions about the role of the microbiome in our health what we do know is that when the communities of the soil thrive, we thrive, too. In every pinch of soil we touch the foundation that unites all life on this planet, and this is enough to inspire us to change the simple things we can for ourselves and all we love.

#ClimateIsWhatWeEat

#NextLevelDelicious

In A Pinch of Soil was originally published in Awakenings 🌿 on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

When we arrived in San Francisco for Transform in May 2019, there was a sense of excitement, since this was a chance to be face-to-face with colleagues, friends, a passionate community dedicated to innovation and social good. We eagerly made our way along Mission Street to get our badges at the Impact Hub, and then to the Public Works space for the opening keynote, with some of us stopping along the way for coffee at a suggested location, helpfully listed on the back of our programs.

There was a sense of work to be done and we quickly settled into our chairs in the main space. Recent scientific reports had sparked a sense of urgency on the topic of climate change in the news, and to this meeting of regenerative business minds it felt particularly intense. Hosted by the social impact collaborative, GatherLab, each hour of this intimate conference was a chance to share the possibilities and challenges that each of us faced while already working at this shared intersection of climate, capital, and community.

First we heard the visionary business leader Carol Sanford in conversation with a GatherLab founder, Kevin Jones. Together they invited us into the heart of the matter, exploring what it takes to revolutionize our society from the inside out. Instead of beginning with business models they placed the initial focus on the internal processes of personal transformation.

Sanford encouraged us to see ourselves and our habits as catalysts for change. She also challenged us to not get lost in the digital, to meet more often in physical space. Sanford passionately pointed out that physical bodies have to come into play whenever we seek to arrive at authentic, shared understanding. She reminded the audience that addressing the essence of situations could only come from engaging with each other as whole beings.

“Regeneration only works in living systems, it only works if you have a living systems mind.” Carol Sanford

Sanford went on to say that this value of engaging in “place” wasn’t about our experiences being “place-based,” but “place-sourced.” To create with actual people in a living systems approach we have to be witness to each other’s living essence, at least intermittently, so we don’t get too abstract. To use our technology wisely, Sanford reminded the audience, we have to use it in service to work that begins and ends with living beings.

As the conversation between Carol and Kevin came to a close, she left the audience with a simple challenge: to consider what the word transform really means to us, to our professional roles and ultimately to our communities. After all, Sanford reminded us, when a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly, it can never go back to being a caterpillar. Sanford’s challenge was simple enough, but it asked each attendee to dig past the superficial aspects of transformation to individually tease out what it means to see with new eyes; to replace walking legs with wings that fly.

“Where does the snow fox end and the snow begin? Where does the stick bug end and the tree begin?”

From Carol’s inspiring conversation with Kevin we soon headed to hear Nora Bateson and Gil Friend offer us more in this sphere of transformation. Psychology, semiotics and some heady philosophy came up in this session as Bateson and Friend engaged the group. As we sat in circle, individuals shared their emotions, their terror of not keeping pace with dire climate changes. In a room full of leaders of every stripe — activists, social impact entrepreneurs, strategists, investors — the recent weeks of global instability seemed to have taken a toll on just about everyone.

Ever the artist, Bateson and long-time strategist Friend, directed our attention to a single slide featuring a collection of creatures at home in their environments. It was hard to see where each creature ended and its surroundings began, and in this way we were directed to access our capacity to feel at home in this world, even in a changing terrain. Still the mood was bleak — until finally, one woman in the group ventured some hope.

As a mother, she explained, she had to strike a balance between nurturing her children and sharing with them the truth that our planet was losing the creatures and beauty they loved as a family. In the dance between sharing the stark truths of climate change and fostering resilience in her children, this mother looked to joy and beauty as touchstones.

That particular intimate detail gave way to another wave of emotions, of shared experiences that focused on past teachers, on future generations, on maintaining the creative spark for something bigger than any one individual. As this temporary gathering came to a close, it resonated with appreciation for all who happened to show up, and for the ongoing process that each of us would carry, each in our way.

Goal: Healthy, Vibrant, Resilient Communities

As systems thinking and conversations around its application progressed, each presentation seemed to build upon the others. From discussions and labs around refugee networks to conversations re-thinking everything from capital to cities, a consistent picture did emerge; and in that image was exactly that dynamic of place-sourced motivation.

In this emerging Transform narrative it became clear that when projects involved giving people the power and tools to share their own stories, make their own needs and desires visible — that their support systems, innovation and communities grew. By allowing existing communities to see themselves and their allies more clearly, projects catalyzed trust and engagement across every imaginable border or structural challenge.

Shining this light of emergence into challenges facing the American Heartland were mid-westerners Erin Meyer of Basil’s Harvest, and Carol Hays of The Strategic Collaboration Group who represented the project, ReGenerate Illinois. Talking about supply chains and the real challenges farmers face, Meyer and Hays detailed their approach to connecting organic farmers directly to large-scale , local buyers.

Perhaps surprising to many of us living on the coasts or in urban areas healthy food can be scarce in America’s breadbasket, and sickness there is rampant. Organic food the presenters explained, must actually be shipped into these farming communities where chemical agribusiness-as-usual dominates. CSA’s and farmer’s markets just aren’t enough to make small-scale organic farming profitable for most.

Through partnerships, Meyer and Hays developed a team to spearhead a Regenerative Farm to Hospital Initiative which looks to grow local health along with opening up these crucial markets to farmers. In this pilot program developed by global sustainability leader, Healthcare Without Harm their coalition has found a way to impact community health deeply and widely. They’re also documenting their work and sharing their process online through a new online publication, Ignite, which we immediately started to follow.

Joining in the Farming Lab panel was Sean Esbjorn-Hargens, founder of social impact innovator, MetaIntegral. Sean and core team member Claudia Meglin explained how they worked with Erin and Carol to identify the various types of capital that could be generated by their “Farm-to-Hospital” vision. In a project meant to help farmers generate true wealth, healthier water systems, more resilient lands and better economic opportunities were crucial components to lasting success. Making those valuable components and their personal significance visible for all the stakeholders was equally crucial.

To learn more about this transformation of an agricultural community, you can read this introduction by Sean Esbjorn-Hargens on the MetaIntegral approach to achieving key impacts that are deep, clear, high and wide.

As we walked away from that session with our Wise Economy card decks in hand, we were ready to hear more on multi-capitalism and meta-currencies. Sean joined Ferananda Ibarra, JustOne Organics Chief Harmony Officer and Co-Director of the Commons Engine, on the main stage of Impact Hub San Francisco for a conversation on metacurrency and the importance of accurately seeing and accounting for their flows.

Sean and Ferananda dove deeply into the power of diverse forms of capital and how recognizing their flow validates their existence. Together they examined the potentials of the groundbreaking REA (Resources, Events, Agents) Accounting. Together they examined the flow of monetary and non monetary resources such as data, and how the current system extracts those forms of value from groups such as farmers. “Data is power”, as Ferananda explained, and by placing data collection into the hands of farmers power is returned to them and their communities.

Helping farmers foster “beautiful collaborations” and complex systems of value; helping them log the value exchanges that drive their communities and develop their supply chains — is exactly the type of work Holochain combined with REA is meant to do. Ferananda went on to illustrate how, as in a natural ecosystem, Holochain and REA accounting make visible the web connecting these resources, events and agents.

“Imagine working in an ecosystem that respected your data.” — Ferananda Ibarra

In this system of accounting, data is placed under the control of the farmers so they can easily see what their sensors see, and share that information as they like. Together they can help each other get better value and better yields, even during times of rapidly changing growing conditions. Esbjorn-Hargens also noted, that the REA accounting can track first- and second-person relationship data — so that daily exchanges with vendors, workers and others can become visible — and this can give farmers a whole new perspective on the impact of their work within their communities.

Ferananda was invited to take the stage again and this time she was joined by our CEO David Rose. Together Ferananda and David have been designing a platform to onboard people, track performance and cultural attitudes — all of it to be running in Holochain. Together they looked at JustOne’s core principles of abundance, mutuality, collaboration, creativity, efficiency and generosity — and how the HoloREA, supports them, just like nature supports that in its ecosystems.

Ferananda uncovered how each agent in this HoloREA system of accounting could have layers of privacy. Those layers of privacy function like “membranes on a cell,” keeping some elements inside while sharing others. From these membranes of data privacy, individuals can operate from within their individual power and to their level of comfort. Working from this position of agent-centric power, mutual respect and mutual credits can flow and feed collaborations in meaningful, valuable ways.

Purpose. Values. Vision. Mission.

As Fernanda handed the stage over to David, we settled in for a completely different yet complementary portion of the talk. With a rainbow of jars of JustOne Organics crystal flakes on the small table at center stage, David continued the thread of living systems design but in a way that brought us back to the personal aspect of choosing to do this work.

David spoke about being at a crossroads in life and how Hawaii, his adopted home of many years, had shaped his next career choice. By listening to the place around him, he realized he wanted to work with the soil and its foods in a way that was “respectful, appreciative and not dominating.” He wanted his next project to express his gratitude for the planet in a way that helped it flourish the way it had done for many millions of years. Instead of going big picture right away, he wanted to focus on the smallest of details, on honoring that which was too small to see.

“You hold a handful of carbon-rich gorgeous, soil in your hand, what else are you holding? You’re holding a population of more microbes than there are people on Earth.” — David Rose

Inspired by the intelligence of seeds, of microbiomes, of every cell in our body — all whose balance and purpose are oriented towards creating and maintaining perfect health, David let this vision emerge on its own over the course of fifteen years. The drying technology existed, the organic farmers and the capital existed, all he had to do was listen and weave the parts. All he had to do, as he saw it, was focus on staying aligned with relationships that were cooperative, where people believed in win-win situations.

Respect for collective intelligence fused David’s words to Ferananda’s, and to those of many of the other speakers at Transform. It’s this respect for collective intelligence found throughout nature that links revolutionary software technologies to regenerative agriculture; to farmers, workers, communities, terrains and bioregions. It’s this same respect for collective intelligence that allows people to bear their unique gifts, and to connect those gifts into a matrix of intention and actions; of flow.

As David playfully closed his portion of the talk by formally introducing his “friends” the crystal flakes, he also flashed a slide of the JustOne Organics project seed. That JustOne seed, Rose stated, is “an effort to manifest oneness in business… that doesn’t mention gently dried food crystals at all.” “But,” he added, “it does tap into something much more powerful — and that is our purpose.” By starting with purpose instead of mission, Rose explained, JustOne Organics arrived at its essence early and never abandoned it. Now with our gentle drying centers coming online, with the REA framework and the tools made available through the Commons Engine, JustOne Organics is ready to become a pathway for farmers who need more stable markets for their regeneratively grown produce.

“A landscape doesn’t captivate you in just one day” — Claude Monet

After the labs, panels, lunch meetings and almost three full days of conversations around this age of great transformation, our team was blissfully full of information and ready to go. Before we packed our bags though, a last evening invited us to go for a walk, to take in some of the beautiful San Francisco energy. Recognizing our collective need to leave the busy Mission District for something more low key, we ended up at the DeYoung Museum for one of the last days of an exhibition of Claude Monet’s late-career paintings.

Monet, a legend in his time and still one in ours, had a packed house that Friday evening. People filled the museum to see the large canvases he made as an older person, as a master who could finally spend all his time exactly as he wanted. Like many of us, the world famous painter chose to spend his last days at home, in his garden.

Time and again Monet painted many of the same subjects, never tiring, never stopping, even when he was legally blind, even after losing his wife. Through all four seasons of sleeping and waking, through grief and difficulty, Monet painted what he felt as much as what he could barely see.

It felt right to sit with that art, to feel it draw in the old and the young, the locals and tourists alike. It felt good to observe that from a simple lifestyle of building and tending a single place, a person could grow in appreciation, become captivated by nuances that could in turn captivate others.

It felt like you could imagine the old painter, barely able to move at the end of each day. You could see him somehow waking each morning fully alert as he emerged from his bed, joints creaking, eyes unable to clear. You could imagine the ever-ready painter inside that old body, ready to fly from bloom to bloom, taking in the perfumes, drinking in the abundance of colors.

If you sat a bit longer you could imagine Monet rising up through that old shell of a body with a fierce curiosity, day after day. You could see the heavy hand of the brushstrokes, and share in the radiant light of the gardens to which he was faithful. That kind of transformation is something that never ends, and it’s that kind of butterfly we might all strive to be.

Living the Great Transformation: Gather Lab’s Transform 2019 was originally published in Awakenings 🌿 on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

“Daily, our eating turns nature into culture, transforming the body of the world into our bodies and minds.” ― Michael Pollan, Omnivore’s Dilemma

Climate is the clockwork movement of complex systems, a constancy and reliability that comes from the interactions between geology, chemistry, physics, and crucially, biology. Climate as we know it is born from life and supports that same life, and this is why its health is tied to our own. Climate is what we eat, as much as it is what we experience because in the grand scheme of life on earth, there are no boundaries between these cycles that nurture and support all beings.

When we talk about climate we talk about patterns and systems, and interactions that seem abstract and almost purely mathematical but the roots of climate stability are found in everything tangible. The life-giving water we depend upon may come to us in clouds that are the product of chemical bonds, but even those chemicals have some living origins. In the forests the trees breathe out gases that form the seeds of clouds, while in the farthest reaches of the ocean tiny algae are a major part of the process. During their lives crashing in the waves, and in their deaths, these microscopic creatures release their delicate calcium shells into the atmosphere; and as they gently travel, slower than falling feathers would, moisture gathers and clouds are formed.

Surprising us time and again, the biological life that evolved on this planet is proving inseparable from the chemistry and physics that many thought were the exclusive heart of climate patterns. As the scientific findings spread across disciplines the interconnectedness between all things is becoming apparent not just as a story but as a reality rooted in data. We are realizing that the world is brimming with an invisible micro life force, from soil to sea, from the roots of trees to the crests of our salty waves, along our skins and inside our guts.

When we think about climate in this more living way, we begin to appreciate how our daily food choices influence its behavior. If we cut down forests to plant monoculture palm trees for cheap oil we change the mixture of gases being put into the atmosphere and we change the soil. If we pour chemicals into the oceans we alter the ratio of microorganisms, and end up disturbing the cycles of fresh clean water returning onto our surface. Considering that fertilizer runoff has already created 400 dead zones in the ocean, the time to think about these matters — and the power of our food choices — is now.

For a living climate to persist we have to embrace foods that nurture the land and the water and this is best achieved through regenerative agriculture. By going one step beyond organic farming and by promoting life from soil to sky we can renew the cycle of life that is fundamental to our daily weather, central to our long term survival. By holding the soil up as a living medium, and by appreciating the wind and the rain with that same reverence we can help ourselves connect again to foods that are brought to our tables without toxic chemicals, without long haul trips that consume and dump fossil fuels into the mix. We can do all the things we need to do to heal our bodies by recognizing that we are in effect, eating the climate in every bite.

To understand every part of climate science is specialized work, but to heal the climate is everyone’s challenge, and potentially our shared bliss. To make life delicious again, all we need to do is follow the lead of nature. By not losing sight of the small relationships that make the big picture possible, by believing in the worth of small actions and by stewarding small changes in ourselves we can change the big trends, meal by meal.

“More than a third of the world’s land surface and nearly 75% of freshwater resources are now devoted to crop or livestock production” — IPBES Global Assessment, 2019

As we read the newest environmental reports we can get lost in the numbers, become overwhelmed with the breakdown. We can find ourselves at the breaking point of anger or apathy, or seeking salvation in one or two big solutions. The truth is, our climate did not come to a point of breakdown with one or two acts, but through a series of many small actions that took the planet for granted; therefore only small actions rooted in appreciation for this living system can shift the tide.

Climate is a rhythm of harmonious conditions, and it has evolved to nurture us and everything else on this planet, from the tiniest microorganisms to the trees that tower above us. To love ourselves we have to love those grand trees and we have to love the earth below us. To show that love with every meal we have to get into deeper connection with what we truly mean if we find ourselves saying, “I love a good meal.”

Climate is food that is sweet and tender, ripened on the vine and the stem. To love that sweetness, we have to love local growers who can pick in season. Climate is the gentle slope where a mist gathers and a valley bursts into rainbows of flowers, leaves, and stalks year after year. To express our awe for those living rainbows, we have to love those gentle mists that nourish them, and respect all the life in between.

“We are the gardeners of this planet.” — Dr. Elaine Ingham

Season by season, climate is an essential part of what we eat and feel; it is the source of comfort of both body and mind. Climate is maple syrup every spring, and cold watermelon on a hot summer’s day. Climate is the juicy fall apple and the winter’s snow blanketing the roots in repose. Climate is all the cycles of the elements understood as a unified field of support and exchanges that serve us as much as it does all other beings. From each micro climate to their macro result we can perceive climate as a vehicle for creativity, a tool for understanding our essential connectivity to the earth and each other.

By recognizing the climate as a unified operating system that encourages and stewards a great variety of life we can realize our responsibility to partner with its integrity instead of challenging it needlessly. By embracing this path of cooperation with our life-giving planet we can stop provoking its systems to prove their resilience in spite of our actions and perceive them as gifts we choose to assist. By understanding this essential unity between climate and our own lives we can engage with our biology and our biosphere in a spirit of cooperation — and we can get so much more beauty and stability from it in return.

Climate is so much more than conditions kept in a tidy box ready for evaluation or argument. Climate is delicious and rich, and it flows in streams and it collects in rivers. From the breezes that spread the spores of fungi, to those that give apex predators a whiff of their potential dinner, climate — as a force, a field, a collection of networks and needs — is constantly meeting at intersections we can’t quite name, or don’t yet know. To protect what we love and to preserve the workings we don’t yet understand is part of the gift of regenerative practices, since they provide the time we need to learn how our planet supports so much life; and they restore our personal and collective stability in the here and now.

Our old ways of thinking, those that mistakenly proclaimed the Earth dead material have now depleted 23% of our global land, turning once living soil into the sterile medium we believed it to be. That depleted soil indicates a growing percentage of earth where drought is rampant, floods are unavoidable and nothing grows without exponential amounts of work and cost. Regenerative agriculture can transform these numbers by bringing chemically assaulted soil and dead zones back to life in less than one human generation. Acre by acre and meal by meal, dedicating to regenerative living through agriculture, through our modes of eating, we can make space for a genuine renewal in our society, and in every facet of our lives.

Through the choices we make in how we eat, we can give back to this living system of earth — provide it a rest from the chemicals, waste and the stress. At every level we can choose with our wallets and our hearts to keep this world full of variety and life, and keep our own bodies alive with non-toxic food and water. We have enough pollution and we have ways to transform it back into viable resources but to do that we have to get clear that climate isn’t just some collection of abstract forces. Climate is a collection of living relationships wrapped in a single atmosphere and supported by one common ground, and it is engineered to provide abundance and stability enough for all.

Climate Is What We Eat was originally published in Awakenings 🌿 on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

“Team work makes the dream work… and this dream is not just mine or UFC’s or even all of ours…

It’s a dream for the world…

That the world may know regeneration as the way things are; that the world may know a land-based prosperity that will keep future generations always in tune with the vast storehouse of harmony and wellness pulsing within our natural systems…
That the world may know food justice and abundance and well-being for all humans and our fellow earthlings.

Each and every one of you are contributing to this dream in ways that are real and felt and so well-received.

Thank you for being on this wonder-full journey with me. Lots more to come : )”

- David Rose

“We Did It”

One person’s passion has turned into a collective mission to bring prosperity back to the lands that supply our food. Some of us have been traveling on this regenerative road with JustOne Organics and its parent company Unified Field Corporation for years, some a few months, others only weeks, but altogether we invite you into our world, as we kick into producing the food we want to see in the world. This is our collective wellness project, and here’s why we’re so excited to share it with you.

At the end of 2018 a core team from JustOne phoned into Klamath Falls, Oregon from all around the globe to hear our new machinery move from a shiny silence into the first sounds of active production. From this shared moment of quiet we waited, until a few long seconds transformed into the sweet sounds of belts and grinders moving whole foods down the line.

The sounds of that production line, with our full quality control and deepest dedication, turned the mechanical sounds of weights and measures, of dryers and belts, into a symphony of promise — one of organic fruits and vegetables beautifully transforming into shelf stable crystals. It was the sound of a technology originally developed for heavy industry receiving a second life producing food that is non-toxic, down to its packaging. It was the sound of us knowing that one person’s dream could blossom into something that needed — and feeds — us all.

With claps and hollers we welcomed this transition, because a very simple dream was becoming real. This dream we’ve held in our hearts has a brand and it makes a product, but at its core this dream has a deeper purpose — to be of service. Our service is to organic farmers, and to the soil they rebuild. Our service is to their children and our own; our service is to support the pure food and water, the native genius that comes of the earth itself. Our service is to every pinch of soil and every sprout and root, and to learning what it is they do so seamlessly. Our service is to replicating this in every relationship we build.

Take the simplest approach and you may find success, even if the road from inspiration to reality is bumpy and full of surprises. We knew it would take years of dedication to get to that first gentle drying center. We did not know how many challenges we would face. We had no idea how many of us would be on the line on that first production day, or how many more will appear in the coming weeks, months and years. We celebrate this journey and all of you reading, because this is our collective story whether or not you were on that call when we heard those sweet words, “We did it.”

Team work makes the dream work

This is a publication for all of us laying the foundations of the world we want to see. This is our creative juice, written and edited to keep us focused on the basics of food, to get us back in touch with the essence of feeding ourselves abundantly, rationally and with a spirit of unity. This is our chance to explore the sounds and colors of the continual awakenings we are having, a chance to share our expanding trove of collective wisdom that proves we can be healthier, happier and more abundant together.

A new way is emerging. A kinder way of eating is presenting itself, and we are here to help document this collective shift. We are here to be a part of a great dawning of mindful eating. We are here to talk about the microbiome, the mycelia, the wisdom of plants, and the healing ecology that will make our lives richer with joy and wellness. In Awakenings we will document, explore and celebrate this shift from all over the globe as our species evolves into understanding what harmony truly means, from the inside. We will continue sharing our work as we develop relationships to farmers, value flows, and local food sheds.

We will be here bringing knowledge and inspiring stories, grounded in the real work of getting more gentle dryers online. We will share our own awakenings, to the things we knew and we’re learning as we engage with farmers making the transition to regenerative agriculture. We will be here sharing the ways we collectively grow and eat now. We will be here serving up the stories of next-level abundance, because we believe in awakening body, mind and spirit to a new level of delicious. Our team started with just one person and it’s blossomed into a collection of dedicated, hard-working dreamers. We are so happy you’re dreaming, too. Together, we can turn our silent hopes for a way out of the toxic past into the sounds of a beautiful future on this planet.

To echo our founder’s words, “​You are real and felt, and so well-received.” You are part of the regenerative team.​

Do you have your own awakening experience to share? We want to hear it! Record a video, post a picture or leave a comment with the hashtag #NextLevelDelicious and we will repost it!

Expand this community web — follow us here and on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest!

We Did It was originally published in Awakenings 🌿 on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.