Real Organic Podcast

#018: Vincent Stanley shares the story of how and why Patagonia switched to 100% organic cotton in the mid 90s and how private companies can lead the way in answering to bottom lines beyond profit.  Vincent Stanley has worked at Patagonia since the 1970s, navigating a changing environment and the company's role in producing Earth-friendly products for customers who want to align their value with t...

#017: Hydroponic blueberries, suspiciously sporting the USDA organic seal, are taking over the marketplace and jeopardizing the livelihood of real organic blueberry farmers like Hugh Kent. But with a focus on biodiversity and the microbial life in his soil, Hugh is able to grow a blueberry that has one thing the hydro growers can't match: flavor. Hugh and Lisa Kent grow exceptional blueberries at...

#016: Green banker, philanthropist, and co-owner of TomKat Ranch, Kat Taylor believes we can reform both capitalism and agriculture into tools that heal our planet and communities through just and equitable practices that align with consumer values. To watch a video version of this podcast please visit:https://www.realorganicproject.org/kat-taylor-grow-good-money-and-good-food-for-all-episode-sixt...

#014: Mark Schatzker, author of The Dorito Effect, shares what he's learned about the flavor industry's transformation of modern food in the Western world and the resulting losses for human nutrition and health. Mark Schatzker is a journalist and author who writes deeply-researched page turners about food and flavor. In addition to his books Steak and The Dorito Effect,  he is releasing The End of...

#013: Alice Waters shares her long view into the US food system's broken relationship with real food, as well as the social impact she's seeing in our ability to get whatever we want whenever we want it, on the cheap. Alice Waters is the founder and owner of Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, California, known throughout the world for its dedication to local and organic foods and seen by many as...

#012: Organic food is a big deal in Denmark, where it makes up the majority of all food sold. The Danish government believes that even if you don't buy and eat organic food, all Danes benefit from organic agricultural practices that promote clean water, healthy soil, and biodiversity.  US Transplant Paul Holmbeck has been deeply involved in executing the strategies that led to this outcome in Denm...

#011: Seth Godin knows storytelling. He sees how valuable the story of organic food is for the growers who share it with eaters looking for the real deal; chemical-free, nutrient-dense, close-to-nature, real food. With a story that powerful, is it any wonder Big Ag wants in? Seth Godin has been a force across the internet and the book shelf for decades, earning a spot in the American Marketing Ass...

#010: Do our health statistics reflect a very different story about the American diet and the overall quality of our food than we tell ourselves? Joan Gussow says "absolutely" - especially if you focus on 21 year old males. Called "the Matriarch of the eat-locally-think-globally movement" by the New York Times, Joan Dye Gussow has taught Nutritional Ecology at Columbia Teachers College since the e...

#009: JM Fortier brings his passion for small-scale, ecology-first farming to this discussion about what motivates growers big and small to scale up, and what's missing from those conversations (nutrients! community! meaning and purpose!). Jean-Martin (JM) Fortier has made a name for himself as a proponent of a small-scale, human-powered, and ecologically-sustainable style of "market gardening" th...

#008: Farming icon Eliot Coleman talks about deep organic, deep science, and the history of organic farming's struggle to stave off the chemical farming industry. Eliot Coleman is an author, market gardener, and educator. His work on the USDA study in the late 1970's, "Report and Recommendations on Organic Farming" helped lead to the formation of the National Organic Program, setting the very stan...

#007: Real Organic farmer Emily Oakley shares her experiences serving on the National Organic Standards Board during the infamous and shocking vote to allow Hydroponics into USDA organic in 2017. She also shares what it's like living next to a chicken CAFO (confined animal feeding operation) in Oklahoma, whether to buy or grow fertility on farms, and how she believes that farmers like her desperat...

#006: In 2017 the Washington Post published a series of articles about fraud under the USDA organic label, breaking the stories of milk, meat, and eggs coming from massive animal confinement operations (not allowed under the organic standards) and grain arriving from overseas with doctored documents. Investigative journalist Peter Whoriskey gives us the story behind the story and shares his views...

#005: Former Vice President Al Gore discusses his decision to get Real Organic certification for the farm he grew up on, Caney Fork Farms in Tennessee.  He also shares how he sees agriculture as a path towards pacifying global issues like Climate Change and immigration, and how he sees organic farmers as important leaders in these movements. To watch a video version of this podcast with access to...

#004: Activist, organizer, farmer and educator Leah Penniman shares the history of food apartheid and land grabbing in the United States and discusses how the same practices are in play across the globe today, endangering the very existence of all species.  Leah Penniman is a longtime food sovereignty organizer and the author of Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Decolonizing...

#002: Climate solutions author, environmental activist, and longtime natural foods icon Paul Hawken dives into the related subjects of nutrition, global migration, and extractive capitalism and identifies the options that lie ahead. Paul Hawken is the author of several books, including Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed To Reverse Global Warming and the founder of a handful of com...

#001: Welcome to our first episode, where we'll introduce you to the Real Organic movement and its many supporters before letting you know more about our guests and what you can expect to hear about in 2021. We have interviewed an amazing roster of folks - including former Vice President Al Gore; seed protector and activist Dr. Vandana Shiva; climate authors Paul Hawken and Bill McKibben; farmers,...