The brand has a long history of campaigning for the protection of the natural world. This includes creating the first certified organic skincare line, helping to ban plastic microbeads, and most recently their Stand by Bees campaign. And as the world’s first CarbonNeutral® high street retailer, Neal’s Yard Remedies continue to pioneer ways of supporting people and our beautiful planet.

To celebrate the launch of our first collaborative course, Activating your Activism: Planting Seeds for Change with Tayshan Hayden-Smith, we chatted with Neal’s Yard Remedies co-founder, Anabel Kindersley.

Discussing nature-based solutions, activism, and the role of business within communities. Learn more about Neal’s Yard Remedies and why they’re the perfect partner of Earthed.

Q&A with Anabel Kindersley

Q: Here at Earthed we are so honoured to have Neal’s Yard Remedies as a Founding Partner. Your long history of campaigning for the protection of the natural world really made Neal’s Yard Remedies a perfect partnership from our perspective. In your opinion, what is it about Earthed that resonates with Neal’s Yard Remedies and the work you do?

Anabel: We are delighted to be a founding partner of Earthed. Our partnership means so much more than just a collaboration. Instead symbolising a shared journey dedicated to fostering a healthier, more sustainable planet.

What deeply resonates with us in Earthed’s work is the emphasis on nature-centred solutions. Earthed not only serves as a platform for learning nature skills but also as a community builder. Uniting individuals driven by a shared passion for the environment. This communal spirit, paired with education and positive action for our planet is what so perfectly aligns with our core values.

At Neal’s Yard Remedies we firmly believe in using our platform to set positive examples, paving the way for others to learn about and embrace sustainability. From pushing the boundaries in organic formulation proving that you can indeed have both sustainable and efficacious skincare, to becoming the first UK high street retailer to become Carbon Neutral. Akin to Earthed’s mission of creating a platform that empowers experts in their field to use their voices to create a positive ripple effect.

Q: As a Founding Partner, Neal’s Yard Remedies have made possible our upcoming course, Activating your Activism: Planting seeds for change with Tayshan Hayden-Smith. Within the course Tayshan talks about how activism can look like different things to different people. From starting a community garden to being the person who brings cups of tea to community members. What does activism look like to you?

Anabel: “Planting seeds for change” is a phrase we worked with Earthed on for the title of this course. It encapsulates what activism looks like to me. Sometimes it can be as small as making a simple swap of a product that you use daily to organic that can be a form of activism.

Using our collective voice and where possible, platform, also serves as a valuable tool towards making change happen. Since 2011 we have been campaigning to Save the Bees, hand delivering a petition with 117,000 signatures to 10 Downing Street lobbying the government to ban 3 toxic neonicotinoid pesticides within the EU – and won.

However, for the past four years the government has granted yearly derogations for the lethal bee killing neonicotinoid ‘thiomethoxam’ for the sugar beet crop. So I gathered together a coalition of over 100 businesses and organisations. For the past two years we have been lobbying the government to implement a pesticide-reduction strategy. We won’t stop until we see true change happen.

Q: At the 2023 Earthed Summit, Neal’s Yard Remedies presented the panel discussion on Growing Community. We also see community playing a huge role within the learnings of Tayshan’s course. What do you see as the role of Neal’s Yard Remedies and other businesses when it comes to community?

Anabel: Just like Earthed, we see community, and in particular our community’s wellbeing, at the heart of all corners of our business. From our global network of suppliers to our employees and customers.

We’ve maintained 30-year-long relationships with many suppliers and growers, prioritising their welfare and helping local communities. Such as working with our organic supplier of Palmarosa in Uganda to help him set up a distillery, creating valuable employment for the local community, or our FairTrade Argan Oil supplier, a female cooperative in Morocco, which was the very first women’s Fair Trade Argan Oil cooperative in the world.

This commitment to wellbeing extends right through to our customers, where we create a holistic approach to community engagement. Our stores provide a trusted space for our community to come together and foster a deeper understanding of the power of natural and organic products for health, beauty and wellbeing needs. Whether it’s providing a personalised service to create your very own herbal blend to help you destress, to tailoring a skincare routine to tackle dry skin holistically.

For us, it’s about making a meaningful contribution to the wellbeing and happiness of the communities we’re privileged to be part of.

Q: Earthed is a learning platform, committed to helping anyone anywhere access the skills and knowledge to start regenerating ecosystems and communities. What would be a key skill or piece of knowledge that you have learnt through your work with Neal’s Yard Remedies that you’d like to share with our members?

Anabel: Learn from your mistakes as there will be many. Resilience is key.

Stand up for what you believe in. For me, putting nature first is a priority. That’s why we use organic ingredients which are better for your skin and kinder to the environment.

Collaborate, as no one individual or business can tackle the issues the planet faces alone. To affect real change, we have to work together.

As a Founding Partner, Neal’s Yard Remedies is supporting Earthed’s mission of increasing access to nature skills. Enabling a wide audience to engage with ecosystem restoration, and raising the profile of nature leaders and regenerative farmers from across the planet. Access our collaborative course led by Tayshan Hayden-Smith and start taking action for biodiversity and community.

Neal’s Yard Remedies is a Founding Partner of Earthed

The post In conversation with Anabel Kindersley: Planting Seeds for Change at Neal’s Yard Remedies appeared first on Earthed.

Earthed is blessed to platform the knowledge, skills, and experiences of inspiring nature teachers from around the world. Tayshan Hayden-Smith is no exception.

Born and raised in Ladbroke Grove, West London, Tayshan turned to guerilla gardening and the creation of community green spaces as a form of therapy and healing following the tragedy of the Grenfell Tower Fire. Through innovative design and collaboration, Tayshan’s projects reimagine green spaces in order to reconnect community with nature so that both can thrive.

In his Earthed Course, Activating your Activism: Planting Seeds for Change, Tayshan guides you through his own personal experiences. He aims to inspire anyone anywhere to reconnect with their community and the natural world.

But what do we really mean when we talk about activism? And how do we overcome the barriers – real or imagined – that prevent so many of us from connecting with our community?

We caught up with Tayshan with our top five questions…

Q&A with Tayshan Hayden-Smith

Q: We love your course, Activating your Activism, and have already reflected and learnt so much from listening to you and your experiences. What do you hope members will gain from participating in your Earthed Course?

Tayshan: Activating your Activism is a course which I hope cuts through boundaries, barriers and very real challenges into just doing and being. There’s an activist in everyone – and there’s no magical formula to it, but often the pressures of life and society will mean that the most amazing and beautiful of ideas and solutions won’t come to life. This course is hopefully a gentle nudge of encouragement to take positive action – however that manifests for you.

Q: The word “activism” can sometimes make people feel uncomfortable, and many may feel wary of labelling themselves “activists”. How would you respond to this? What does activism mean to you?

Tayshan: I feel really passionately about language as a form of  communicating. Language can be so poetic, so emotive but also harmful, at times. Admittedly, I didn’t understand what an activist was before 2017, and so to call myself an activist I had to really understand and embody what it meant. It’s within our nature to empathise, to seek understanding and connection and so, naturally, we all have an inner activist to activate. We all have different ideas and causes – a good place might be to ask yourself: What do you stand up for?

Q: In the course you mention the importance of learning from mistakes along the way. What’s one of the main learnings you’ve made in your journey to where you are today?

Tayshan: I make mistakes everyday – we have to start normalising reality, where there are imperfections and challenges every single day. The aspiration to live a faultless and perfect life is unrealistic and dangerous.

I’d say my main learning would be to be more gentle with myself and to learn to be proud of myself. I’d also say that I question anything I feel overly comfortable with – even expectations / preconceptions around what it is to be a man in 2024. 

Channelling words of encouragement and love my late-mum used to say / send always helps. 

Q: What would be your number one tip to someone who was anxious about engaging with their local community or trying to start a new project?

Tayshan: You are community – you aren’t somehow separate or external to this. By default, you are community and community is you. 

Your voice, your mind and your involvement is so crucial. You should feel empowered to know that you could play a part in something positive and purposeful.

Q: How can members continue learning and supporting your work?

Tayshan: I feel duty bound to inspiring, creating, at the very least trying, to make positive change.

Grow to Know was set up following the Grenfell Tower tragedy as it was nature that came to our rescue. Nearly 7 years on, our work is only possible with the support from a community of people and partners. As a small not for profit, we would welcome and appreciate your support in helping us plant those much needed seeds of change. Feel free to follow and, if at all possible, support by donating to our cause.

Check out Grow to Know on Instagram, and follow Tayshan Hayden-Smith to keep up with his work and upcoming projects. Start your journey into community action today. Join our Earthed Course ‘Activating your Activism: Planting Seeds of Change’ with Tayshan Hayden-Smith.

This Earthed Course is the first in a series made possible by Earthed partner Neal’s Yard Remedies. As a Founding Partner of the charity, Neal’s Yard Remedies is supporting Earthed’s mission of increasing access to nature skills, enabling a wide audience to engage with ecosystem restoration, and raising the profile of nature leaders and regenerative farmers from across the planet. Neal’s Yard Remedies has been a longtime advocate for biodiversity and supporting the beauty and wellbeing of both people and planet. From creating the first certified organic skincare line in 1991 to helping to ban plastic microbeads, their commitment to the health of pollinators and people makes them a perfect partner of Earthed.

The post Q&A with Tayshan Hayden-Smith appeared first on Earthed.

_{In alignment with World Soil Day, Earthed and Farmacy came together to highlight the pivotal role soil plays in building healthy ecosystems, healthy food, and healthy people. Farmacy is a Founding Partner of the Earthed charity, championing the belief that ‘food is medicine’ and advocating for local, organic and biodynamic farming. The following is an extract from their latest publication, Manifesto on the Future of Food. This insurgent manifesto traces a path from the health of the soil to the health of human beings, with food as the connecting agent between our mental, physical and planetary wellbeing.} 

The thin, porous blanket of soil between the Earth’s crust and its atmosphere is the alchemical chamber that gives rise to 95% of humanity’s food.

And the soil provides more than food. It filters and regulates water as it travels through the ground into aquifers, rivers and streams. It is the largest active carbon pool after the ocean, holding more carbon than all plant life on the planet.⁠

Soil accomplishes all of this because it is not a dead medium for roots, containing trace minerals and little water. Soil is alive, a bustling community of organisms whose intricacy boggles the mind.

The nation that destroys its soil destroys itself.

—President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Letter to State Governors on February 26, 1937

We have often mistake soil for dirt. But the most contemporary science is revealing soil to be perhaps the most fascinating and complex of all ecosystems, as diverse and abundant as a tropical rainforest or a coral reef. Nowhere in nature are species so densely packed as under our heels. In English soils, 90% of species haven’t yet been named. A pinch of healthy soil can contain kilometres of branching fungal filaments and a billion bacteria. Entire branches of the tree of life are represented in a single handful of earth. 

Despite being the ecosystem most essential to human life, soil wasn’t even recognized as one until recently.

Leonardo da Vinci remarked that we know more about the celestial bodies than the miniature bodies beneath our feet. This remains true to some extent. Despite being the ecosystem most essential to human life, soil wasn’t even recognized as one until recently. In the last decade, scientists have realised that the soil is not only an ecosystem, but a vast biological structure, an intricate matrix created by the very organisms that live in it, in the same way as a beaver’s dam or a beehive, only dramatically more complex.

At the smallest level, bacteria convert carbon from the air. They use it as glue to stick together bits of dirt in forming tiny chambers to call home. Other soil creatures then build those chambers into bigger ones. Then the giants of the soil, creatures visible to the naked eye such as worms and ants, build those pockets into still larger ones. All of this is going on at once and is fractally scaled. The soil has the same pattern to its structure no matter what magnification you look at it at, whether you zoom in or out.

These features make living soil an extraordinarily resilient matrix. The density and variety of organisms allows it to adapt to changing conditions. Healthy soil stays on the land when it rains and when the wind blows. Were it just a passive heap of rock and dust the rain would sweep it away.

The emerging understanding of soil emphasises ecology, the science that studies the relationship between living things.

Today biologists know that soil fertility is as much a function of its ecology as of its chemistry. Plant growth is driven by a bustling exchange of stimuli and substances among many organisms. As the root hair of a plant makes its way into a lump of soil, it releases highly specific chemical signals. This is its language for communicating to a select group of bacteria. The chemical message wakes the target bacteria from a hibernation state, and the microorganisms multiply wildly around the root.

Thus the plant creates alliances with fungi and bacteria that forage about the soil — both nearby and miles away — for the minerals the plant needs. They then rush back to the surface of the root to exchange these for the sugars that the plant derives from its own traffic with the sun. The magic we call photosynthesis. In addition to the building blocks of plant nutrition, this symbiotic relationship also provides the plant with growth hormones and immune stimulation.

This is the handshake that is at the heart of life on Earth. The energy that plants harvest from the sun is put into the web of life of the soil in the form of carbon. The plants in turn receive the minerals they require from the microorganisms that make their home in the soil. The soil biome is teeming with bacteria, fungi, protozoa and nematodes that carry out this dance. This system has fed plants for 460 million years. It generates everything from the great forests to the vast grasslands of the world.

The living mantle of the soil biome is — in both historical and practical terms — the cradle of civilization. For all our achievements as a species, we owe our existence to these few inches of soil.

But our soil is hurting. In the last 30 years, roughly a third of the Earth’s arable land has been lost to erosion and pollution. Twenty-four billion tons of fertile soils slip away from the land managed for human food production each year. A loss of 3.4 tonnes for every person on the planet, every year, year after year. This is estimated to cost the world economy $400 billion per year, but the real loss is unquantifiable.

What soil remains is losing its life and releasing the carbon it holds into the air. When soil ecosystems begin to die, all the parameters of fertility — depth, internal drainage, acidity levels, moisture retention and more — fall out of health.

This is no small predicament. The loss of soil health and vitality has led to the demise of civilizations before our own. But to understand what to do about it, we must understand the particular inventions and imperatives that brought us to where we are today.

_{In alignment with World Soil Day, Earthed and Farmacy came together to highlight the pivotal role soil plays in building healthy ecosystems, healthy food, and healthy people. Farmacy is a Founding Partner of the Earthed charity, championing the belief that ‘food is medicine’ and advocating for local, organic and biodynamic farming. This is an extract from their latest publication, Manifesto on the Future of Food. This insurgent manifesto traces a path from the health of the soil to the health of human beings, with food as the connecting agent between our mental, physical and planetary wellbeing.} 

About Earthed

Earthed is the nature skills platform for a global community learning from and for nature. The charity exists to galvanise and support a peer-driven, mass mobilised ecosystem restoration movement by giving anyone, anywhere, access to the skills, networks, and funds they need to restore nature and grow food. Together, the growing Earthed community will mainstream restoration knowledge, help fund community-oriented regeneration projects, build back biodiversity, restore soil health and degraded ecosystems, localise food systems, and help every balcony, city, farm, and river burst with life.

About Farmacy

Restaurant, farm, shop, and foundation, Farmacy has become renowned for its innovative, nutritionally curated and organic dishes, with ‘living food’ recipes that are good for human health and sustainability. Farmacy champions the belief that ‘food is medicine’ and advocates for local, organic and biodynamic farming. The ‘Farm’ in Farmacy is grounded in the Kent countryside. It’s a Demeter-certified biodynamic plot of land, growing vegetables, fruits and herbs, which are delivered weekly to the Notting Hill restaurant by electric van. As well as championing a regenerative approach to agriculture, Farmacy is passionate about creating educational initiatives to share this knowledge of biodynamics and set individuals and families off on their own journeys towards deep health and personal sovereignty.

Already a member of Earthed?

Head to our Earthed Courses and start learning from restorers around the world. Not sure what the best course for you is? Start a discussion in our community area!

The post The Magic Complexity of Soil and Soil Health appeared first on Earthed.

_{In alignment with World Soil Day, Earthed and Farmacy have come together to highlight the pivotal role soil plays in building healthy ecosystems, healthy food, and healthy people. Farmacy is a Founding Partner of the Earthed charity championing the belief that ‘food is medicine’ and advocating for local, organic and biodynamic farming. Get your own copy of Farmacy’s new Manifesto on the Future of Food.}

Part 1: the magic complexity of soil

In English soils, 90% of species haven’t yet been named. A pinch of healthy soil can contain kilometres of branching fungal filaments and a billion bacteria. Healthy soils are living ecosystems. They are fascinating complex webs of life that contain a huge diversity of species.

Healthy soils are living ecosystems. They are fascinating complex webs of life that contain a huge diversity of species.

Within the soil, worms, bugs, fungi, bacteria, plants and animals all work together to turn organic material into nutrients and food. These creatures create beautifully rich soil. This is the basis for all terrestrial life and 99% of what we eat. 

The connection between human health and healthy soils.

Within healthy soils there are thousands of microorganisms that unlock nutrients for plants, allowing our food to become nutrient-rich. Nutrient-dense food provides us the nourishment we need for the ecosystem of our body to thrive. When we destroy the soil food web and kill these millions of tiny organisms within the soil, we are also affecting the nutrients and nourishment that we receive through the food we eat.

Photosynthesis is the handshake at the heart of life on Earth. 

Plants harvest energy from the sun that feeds the web of life in the soil in the form of carbon.  The plants in turn receive the minerals they require from the microorganisms that they feed.

Plants send roots into the soil biome. This is the community of microscopic bacteria and fungi that allows plants to take nutrients from the ground. 

Similarly, our own bodies extend roots called villi into the gut microbiome, a community of tiny creatures that break down our food and shift nutrients. We receive part of the ecology of our microbiome from our families. But we also ingest millions of microbes with every meal. 

Science is finding that our microbiomes, shaped by the food we eat, affect our emotions, thinking, and relationships. With depression and anxiety strongly linked to poor gut flora diversity. 

Serotonin — one of the body’s most important neurotransmitters — is almost entirely produced in the digestive tract. Serotonin influences sleep, appetite, and moods. It inhibits pain and regulates sexual function. When it’s out of whack it can lead to depression, anxiety, and even more dramatic mental effects. 

Since at least 90% of serotonin is produced in the gut, and the gut is lined with a hundred million neurons. It makes sense that the inner workings of the digestive system affect the mind and emotions. 

A healthy soil supports a healthy gut. A healthy gut supports a healthy mind.

A resilient group of minds can give rise to a thriving culture that continually invents new harmonies with its surroundings. 

We must learn to nurture the soil so that it becomes alive and vital once again.

The unimaginable, magic complexity of soil is constantly contributing to human and planetary health in more ways than can be listed.

Farmacy Manifesto on the Future of Food

Part 2: the impact of industrial agriculture

Declining soil health is intrinsically linked to declining human health. 

Agriculture dominates the surface of the globe, spanning 46% of all habitable land. The way we feed ourselves is the most direct and intimate aspect of our relationship to nature. 

Yet around the world, industrial agriculture is actively killing the soil food web and impacting human health.

Industrial Agriculture and the Soil Food Web:

• Continual tilling breaks down the connective structure that bacteria and fungi create. 

• Heavy machinery compacts soil, leading to soil erosion, increased nitrogen loss, and reduced drainage.

• Pesticides kill the billions of microorganisms within the soil that are also working to bind the soil together. 

• Synthetic fertilisers further unravel the balance between microorganisms in the soil.

When the complex web of life holding soil together deteriorates, rainfall is more likely to result in soil runoff. That runoff is filled with pesticides and fertilisers which then enter waterways, polluting aquatic ecosystems. Therefore creating further imbalance in the surrounding landscape.

Industrial Agriculture and Human Health

The mass adoption of industrial agriculture was shaped by historical forces, gaining much of its momentum in the aftermath of the World Wars.

The chemical and machinery industries that had been busy manufacturing poison gases and artillery during the wars found new markets in the farm fields. In fact many of the same companies that had developed nerve gas for use on the battlefields and in the gas chambers turned their techniques to another kind of war: the war on pests.

Today over 1,400 pesticides are used, but less than 1% of the poison sprayed acts on the target organism. The rest leaches into the ecosystem, undermining the web of life — and slowly and insidiously ravaging human health too.

Since the rise of synthetic chemical pesticides and fertilisers being sprayed on our food, we have seen increasing rates of inflammation, chronic disease and neurological disorders. 

There is now increasing evidence showing the direct links between the chemical intensification of our agriculture and the rapid rise of a range of diseases. Which are now resulting in increasingly unaffordable treatment costs. These include diet-related illnesses such as obesity, type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, allergies, certain cancers, and diseases of the immune system. Many of which are being directly linked to the way food is currently produced and consumed.

The same industrial agricultural processes that are damaging the soil food web are also impacting human health. In comparison, healthy soils support healthy people. We need to transform the way we farm and eat in order to support and celebrate this intrinsic link between humans and soil.

Today, in our fast-forward and dulled state, we understand food as fuel and convenience. But food is so much more than that. In the truest sense, eating is a profound act. It is about nourishment and connection. The way we eat involves us in a web of information and exchange that stretches across the globe and as deep into history as it is possible to go. Food is loaded with meaning as well as nutrients, encoded with the largest possible implications for human destiny.

Farmacy Manifesto on the Future of Food

Part 3: food as medicine

The regeneration of the food landscape is about the integrity of the soil ecology but also about the integrity of the human ecology. 

Within healthy soils there are thousands of microorganisms that help our food become nutrient rich. Nutrient dense food provides us the nourishment we need for the ecosystem of our body to thrive. When we destroy the soil food web and kill these millions of tiny organisms within the soil, we are also affecting the nutrients and nourishment that we receive through the food we eat. 

Our dysregulation starts with the food we eat. Food is the medicine for healing humanity.

There are many factors that have affected the health of our intestinal microbiome, from antibiotics, low fibre in processed foods, the modern emphasis on hygiene, and the generalised use of biocides in agriculture. But it is possible to regenerate our guts by eating a diversity of foods from living soils. 

Fermentation

Fermentation is a set of practices that goes back to the dawn of humanity. They are a means of working with nature to elicit more nutrition and flavour from food. As foods are transformed by microorganisms in controlled environments, chemical changes take place, unlocking nutrients, creating new ones, and developing natural chemical cocktails. Therefore stimulating our taste buds, guts and imaginations.

Living cultures such as sauerkraut, yoghurt and kvass can help us to rebuild the microorganisms in our gut. Yet this still depends on healthy soil. Vegetables from a depleted industrial landscape won’t contain the necessary elements to jumpstart their own fermentation.

Fermentation thus illustrates once again how the vitality of the mind can be traced directly back to the vitality of the soil.

The trouble is not only how industrial food is grown, but in what happens to food after it leaves the farm, as it enters a second industrial process. In the factories, food is radiated, oxidised, and further treated with synthetic chemicals. Soybean, corn, and rapeseed oils are extracted, bleached, and deodorised with chemical solvents such as hexane, a known neurotoxin. Processed foods come packed with refined sugars, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, emulsifiers, enzymes, and hormone-disrupting substances.

By and large, we don’t know where our food comes from, how it was grown, or what it has been mixed or treated with. A useful rule of thumb is Michael Pollan’s philosophy for eating, which he summed up in just seven words in a mastery of synthesis: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

Food sits at the intersection of our inner landscapes and our outer landscapes. The food we eat affects how our bodies respond, how our minds understand, and how our health supports us — but it also determines the way the world around us looks, the state of the air, the earth, the water, and the vitality of our social and political systems.

Farmacy Manifesto on the Future of Food

Part 4: the shift to regenerative agriculture

The regeneration of the food landscape is not only about the integrity of the soil ecology, but also about the integrity of the human ecology. Agriculture that is truly regenerative should not harm the environment or human health. 

Regenerative agriculture is a way of growing food that honours this complexity that lives in the soil. It acknowledges how as humans we depend on that living soil for our health and wellbeing. By using approaches that build soil health through natural means, in the same way soils have been doing for millions of years before industrial agriculture, we can halt the decline of our health and our soils. 

What does a regenerative food system look like in practice?

Smaller scale.

Big monocultures reliant on toxic chemicals and fossil fuels cannot be truly regenerative. Smaller scale allows for farming practices that collaborate with nature. 

Job-rich instead of tech-intensive.

Many food technologies rely on rare-earth minerals and use tremendous amounts of energy. They also impose standardisation. Human beings, on the other hand, are built for diversity and capable of nurturing soil, landscapes, and each other. Regenerative food systems are people-led.

Diverse farms.

Life is built on diversity. In order to harness the power of ecology and build healthy soil, a variety of plants and animals must be integrated into the same land.

Local markets.

Cutting food miles is crucial to reducing emissions and use of plastic. More importantly it connects eaters to their local landscapes and keeps farming accountable to the community. Local food networks are more resilient to changes in climate and financial shocks. They also shift the balance of power away from corporations and back to actual people: farmers and eaters. Local food is fresh food — with more nutrients and flavour.

Face-to-face relationships.

Real connections between farmers, retailers, and consumers help keep all parties informed and accountable to each other. It also means that people can support each other in times of need, translating to resilience and social regeneration.

Real food for real people.

For food systems and not just certain specialty products to be regenerative, the fundamental shift will be to provide everyday food at affordable prices. This is not easy in a deregulated globalised economy. Policy intervention are needed, but in the meantime paying more for organic food can help to subsidise the transition. (Adapted from Local Futures, founded by Helena Norberg-Hodge – check out Helena Norberg-Hodge’s Earthed course on Localisation)

The principles of regenerative agriculture encompass a vibrant range of practices. Those practices leverage the natural features of the landscape and the biology of the plants and animals involved. These principles allow farmers to make expensive synthetic inputs redundant by harnessing ecology to create soil fertility and deal with pests. Along the way, carbon is returned to the soil and the water cycle is restored to more reliable flows. Regenerative agriculture is a kind of farming that produces food with greater nutrition while improving the conditions for life and food production in the future. 

Regenerative agriculture today is not only empirically recognized to offer greater nutrition without the toxic load of synthetic chemicals, but many organic and biodynamic farms also provide an aesthetic that is deeply pleasing to humans. This is not accidental. Outer landscapes are reflected in our inner landscapes. When the outer landscapes to which we are connected through food are alive, complex, and humming with response, so are we.

Farmacy Manifesto on the Future of Food

About Earthed

Earthed is the nature skills platform for a global community learning from and for nature. The charity exists to galvanise and support a peer-driven, mass mobilised ecosystem restoration movement by giving anyone, anywhere, access to the skills, networks, and funds they need to restore nature and grow food. Together, the growing Earthed community will mainstream restoration knowledge, help fund community-oriented regeneration projects, build back biodiversity, restore degraded ecosystems, localise food systems, and help every balcony, city, farm, and river burst with life.

About Farmacy

Restaurant, farm, shop, and foundation, Farmacy has become renowned for its innovative, nutritionally curated and organic dishes. With ‘living food’ recipes that are good for human health and sustainability. Farmacy champions the belief that ‘food is medicine’ and advocates for local, organic and biodynamic farming. The ‘Farm’ in Farmacy is grounded in the Kent countryside. It’s a Demeter-certified biodynamic plot of land, growing vegetables, fruits and herbs, which are delivered weekly to the Notting Hill restaurant by electric van. As well as championing a regenerative approach to agriculture, Farmacy is passionate about creating educational initiatives to share this knowledge of biodynamics. Therefore setting individuals and families off on their own journeys towards deep health and personal sovereignty.

Already a member of Earthed?

Head to our Earthed Courses and start learning from restorers around the world. Not sure what the best course for you is? Start a discussion in our community area!

The post The soil food web: why healthy soil means healthy people appeared first on Earthed.

_{Earthed is an official implementation partner of the United Nations’ Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration is a rallying call for the protection and revival of ecosystems all around the world, for the benefit of people and nature. Furthermore, it aims to halt the degradation of ecosystems, and restore them to achieve global goals. Read on to discover why Earthed is a partner, and how our commitment to enabling anyone anywhere to engage in ecosystem restoration is vital for the achievement of such largescale, global goals. This is an extract; read the full article here.}

By 2030, at least one billion hectares of degraded land must be restored.

According to the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, we have seven years more to bend the curve on nature and biodiversity loss. Only by creating a global restoration movement, we can recreate a balanced relationship between people and the ecosystems that depend on them and bring nature back.

The number of collaborative interactions and on-the-ground activities needed to upscale restoration activities to the point where they are having meaningful global impacts is too great for one initiative to directly orchestrate and manage. Therefore, the only way global ecosystem restoration can be achieved is if local people everywhere are able to take part.

However, there are various obstacles that are preventing everyday people from taking part in ecosystem restoration. Including lack of access to practical restoration skills, knowledge, and community.

This is what Earthed is on a mission to change.

In alignment with the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, Earthed is a member-based charity on a mission to remove these obstacles. We provide access to the skills, networks, and funds that enable anyone anywhere to start restoring their local ecosystems. Therefore, Earthed supports individuals to grow and restore nature through a library of high-quality, practical nature-skills video courses. What’s more, Earthed unites a global community learning to grow through a community area with events and forums.

“Earthed brings added value to the Generation Restoration movement, offering practical knowledge and education on restoration across multiple ecosystems. It is a natural alliance that provides essential skills to a growing movement” said Mirey Atallah, the Head of the Nature for Climate Branch at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Following the success of the sold-out Earthed Summit, the Digital Earthed Summit will be taking place in January 2024. With the theme, ‘Our Future, Regenerated’, this exciting new annual event will shine a spotlight on the power of ecosystem restoration. As well as our human potential to restore nature and communities. Join the waitlist for the Digital Summit here.

About Earthed

Earthed is the nature skills platform for a global community learning from and for nature. The charity exists to galvanise and support a peer-driven, mass mobilised ecosystem restoration movement. Giving anyone, anywhere, access to the skills, networks, and funds they need to restore nature and grow food. Together, the growing Earthed community will mainstream restoration knowledge, help fund community-oriented regeneration projects, build back biodiversity, restore degraded ecosystems, localise food systems, and help every balcony, city, farm, and river burst with life.

About the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration

The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030, led by the United Nations Environment Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and its partners, covers terrestrial as well as coastal and marine ecosystems. As a global call to action, it will draw together political support, scientific research, and financial muscle to massively scale up restoration. Find out how you can contribute to the UN Decade. Follow #GenerationRestoration.

Already a member of Earthed?

Head to our Earthed Courses and start learning from restorers around the world. Not sure what the best course for you is? Start a discussion in our community area!

The post Earthed in partnership with the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration appeared first on Earthed.

Their organic products not only nurture skin, body and mind, but also preserve the biodiversity of our planet.

In alignment with Organic September, Earthed travelled to Neal’s Yard Remedies eco-factory and organic gardens in Peacemarsh, Dorset, to talk all things biodiversity, and to shed light on what it means to choose organic – both for us and the environment around us.

Here are five simple steps from Neal’s Yard Remedies to help make choosing organic easy for a safer, healthier and fairer world.

Brush up on the term

The label ‘organic’ means a lot.

The word ‘organic’ is sometimes used interchangeably with ‘natural’, ‘pure’ and ‘eco-friendly’, but they don’t mean the same thing. 

A lot of work goes into ensuring something is certified organic and made in a way that safeguards our ecosystem. That includes our soils, animals, wildlife, plants and people, too. Let’s take organic food, which must meet strict legal requirements, with the growers and makers being inspected at least once a year. 

Other industries (like fashion and beauty) that don’t have organic legislation rely on certifiers like the Soil Association, with extremely rigorous organic standards, to accredit their products. 

Knowing what organic means and why it matters can help you feel confident about your decisions when opting for organic produce. 

Choose organic beauty & skincare

Swap your non-organic beauty favourites for formulations that use organically farmed ingredients. Look for those with logos like the Soil Association on the label. That way, you can be sure a product has been made using sustainable, ethically sourced and biodegradable ingredients. Without animal testing and controversial chemicals, and packaged with maximum recycled content.

And the great news is, with more developments in the industry, you don’t have to sacrifice efficacious, performance-led skincare for going organic. Take Neal’s Yard Remedies most recent collection, the Skincare Boosters. These are a powerful selection of certified organic ‘Boosters’ such as Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin C, and Rosehip Oil that have been carefully formulated to adapt to any skin type or routine whilst providing results. Take the Hyaluronic Acid Booster, of which 97% agree their skin is intensely hydrated. Based on a consumer trial with 72 women using the product two times per day. You can have it all!

Rethink the way you eat

Embrace an organic lifestyle by rethinking the way you eat.

Food is the first thing people tend to think about when they hear the word ‘organic’. In a way, it’s the low-hanging fruit for transitioning to an organic lifestyle. Many organic food options readily available on supermarket shelves. 

If you’re beginning to branch out, start with swapping your daily brew for an organic alternative. We collectively make around 100 million cups daily in the UK –nearly 36 billion a year! So, if we all switched to an organic cup of tea, it would make a world of difference.

Wherever you are on your organic journey, supermarket own-brand organic ranges are a great way to stock up on cupboard essentials. They’re good value for money and provide many benefits for the people behind the produce, the planet and our wellbeing. Organic milk, for instance, has up to 50% more beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and ensures British farmers receive a good return. 

There are plenty of other ways to get involved with organic food. From eating seasonal produce to growing your own herbs, supporting independent organic shops to signing up for weekly fruit, veg or meat boxes from local farmers. The bottom line? Get stuck in! 

Opt for an organic getaway

Another way to live more organically is to opt for an organic getaway. Next time you’re due a holiday, why not visit an organic farm complete with delicious food and immerse yourself in nature’s beauty. Numerous certified organic farms remain hidden treasures, nestled in picturesque landscapes, embracing coastlines, rivers, rolling hills, and lush meadows. (They’re havens for wildlife and perfect for activities like bird watching.) 

These idyllic havens not only provide sanctuary for wildlife but also cater to activities such as bird watching. Whether you’re seeking a luxurious 5-star cottage amid ancient woodlands, a tranquil campsite nestled within bountiful orchards. Or even opulent yurts for those with a taste for extravagant glamping, this sustainable approach to holidaying offers something to enchant everyone.

Campaign for a greener future

Campaign for a greener future by supporting causes you care about. Speak to your local MPs and sign petitions for issues you want to reach parliament. It’s a great way to have your voice heard and build a community of like-minded people. There are many who want to see positive change just as much as you. 

Neal’s Yard Remedies co-owner Anabel Kindersley launched a parliamentary petition calling for the government to set a national target for reducing pesticide use, cutting toxicity levels and supporting farmers transitioning to nature-friendly alternatives. Find out more about how you can take action at standbybees.co.uk

Find more from Neal’s Yard Remedies and their organic products on their website.

Explore our series with Founding Partner, Neal’s Yard Remedies, where we discuss all things organic.

What can I do?

In the face of climate change, diet related ill-health and widespread decline in wildlife, the need to change our agriculture systems has never been greater. A transition towards ‘agroecological’ farming systems, like organic, can make a world of difference.

Many organic farms use practices such as no dig growing, composting, and providing habitats for natural predators. These are all skills you can learn within Earthed. Check out our course on No Dig Gardening with Charles Dowding, Biodynamic Farming with Thea Maria Carlson, and Food Forests with Manisha Lath Gupta.

Feel passionate about organic growing? Start a discussion in our community area!

The post Five ways to embrace Organic Living with Neal’s Yard Remedies appeared first on Earthed.

But what does organic actually mean?

Organic is a system of farming and food production. Farmers using organic systems aim to produce high-quality crops, using methods that benefit our whole agricultural system, from people to planet, plant health to animal welfare.

Organic farmers work to a strict set of standards, ensuring that their farms sustain the health of:

• Soils
• Ecosystems
• Animals
• People

These standards are built on the key principles of organic agriculture:

• Health
• Ecology
• Care
• Fairness

What does organic farming look like in practice?

Fewer pesticides

‘Pesticides’ are chemicals designed to kill insects and other pests, including weeds and fungal diseases. Recent studies name pesticides as key drivers of global insect declines and the biodiversity crisis.

Organic farmers aim to create a natural balance between plants and animals to prevent pests, such as encouraging healthy wildlife populations including birds, beetles and other ‘beneficial insects’, such as ladybirds. Likewise, crop rotations lower the risk of plant disease.

Learn more about creating space for natural predators with Manisha Lath Gupta.

No artificial fertilisers

Organic farming avoids the use of synthetic fertilisers by building healthy, fertile soils. Farmers do this using clover and legumes to ‘fix’ nitrogen, as well as using compost, animal manure, green manures, and crop rotations to maintain healthy, nutrient-rich soils. 

Learn more about mulching and nitrogen fixing with Sidney Etienne.

Higher animal welfare standards

Every aspect of welfare is covered under organic standards, which insist that animals are truly free-range; given plenty of space and fresh air, and raised in conditions that suit their natural behaviour. This means smaller flocks and herds, and more access to the outdoors.

Learn more about a biodynamic relationship with animals with Thea Maria Carlson.

No routine use of antibiotics

In non-organic UK agriculture, routine use of antibiotics is widespread accounting for around 30% of all UK antibiotic use, but using them preventatively is banned in organic farming.

However, farmers do not need to depend on antibiotics when animals are farmed in hygienic environments, fed the right diet and raised in more spacious conditions.

Learn more about natural pest control with Charles Dowding.

What’s the difference between ‘organic’ and ‘natural’?

Unlike the ‘natural’ labels that you might see on many food products, ‘organic’ is a protected term, subject to legal regulation. Organic certification bodies work with farmers and food processors to make sure their food meets strict organic standards, laid down in law.

Explore our series with Founding Partner, Neal’s Yard Remedies, where we discuss all things organic.

What can I do?

In the face of climate change, diet related ill-health and widespread decline in wildlife, the need to change our agriculture systems has never been greater – a transition towards ‘agroecological’ farming systems, like organic, can make a world of difference.

Many organic farms use practices such as no dig growing, composting, and providing habitats for natural predators. These are all skills you can learn within Earthed courses, such as No Dig Gardening with Charles Dowding, Biodynamic Farming with Thea Maria Carlson, and Food Forests with Manisha Lath Gupta.

Feel passionate about organic growing? Start a discussion in our community area!

The post What does Organic mean? appeared first on Earthed.

Urban gardening is the practice of growing plants, fruits, and vegetables in urban areas. It can take many forms, from community gardens, rooftop gardens and vertical gardens to guerrilla gardening. There are an immeasurable number of benefits when it comes to urban gardening: reducing food miles, promoting healthy eating, improving air quality, and providing green spaces for communities. Unsurprisingly, urban gardening is becoming increasingly popular as people in busy, bustling cities look for ways to reduce their carbon footprint, lead a more sustainable lifestyle, and enjoy fresh, healthy produce.

At Earthed, we feel there’s no-one better placed to educate our community on Urban Gardening than Alessandro Vitale.

Who is Alessandro Vitale?

Alessandro Vitale is a renowned urban gardener who has transformed empty lots, rooftops, and abandoned buildings into thriving gardens in cities across the world. An Italian architect, urban designer, and green entrepreneur based in Milan, Alessandro has dedicated his career to urban agriculture and the regeneration of abandoned urban spaces. He is the founder of OrtiAlti, a project that transforms unused rooftops into lush gardens, and Green Island, an initiative that creates green spaces in the heart of cities. Vitale is a pioneer of urban farming and has won numerous awards for his innovative work in the field.

5 Successful Urban Gardening Initiatives:

Example 1: OrtiAlti, Milan

OrtiAlti, a project founded by Alessandro Vitale in Milan, transforms unused rooftops into productive gardens. The project creates a sustainable and healthy food source for the local community while also improving the city’s air quality. OrtiAlti has transformed more than 10,000 square meters of rooftop space in Milan into productive gardens. Producing over 10 tons of fresh fruits and vegetables each year, they make a huge contribution to the local community!

Example 2: The High Line, New York City

The High Line in New York has to be one of the most globally recognised urban gardens, and one you might be more familiar with. The 1.45-mile-long elevated park is built on a former railway line on the west side of Manhattan. The park features over 500 species of plants and has become a popular destination for both tourists and locals. The High Line has transformed a derelict space into a vibrant green area that benefits the environment and the local community. The park attracts over 8 million visitors each year and has become a catalyst for economic development in the area.

Example 3: The Edible Bus Stop, London

The Edible Bus Stop is a community gardening project in south London that aims to transform neglected public spaces into productive gardens. Since the projects inception in 2011, it has grown to include over 30 gardens across London. The garden is maintained by a team of volunteers producing fresh fruits and vegetables. The Edible Bus Stop has transformed unused spaces into vibrant community gardens that promote healthy eating and social interaction.

Example 4: The Urban Farm, Brussels

The Urban Farm is an urban gardening project in Brussels that transforms vacant lots into productive gardens. The project aims to provide healthy and affordable food for the local community, whilst also creating a green space in the heart of the city. The Urban Farm has transformed over 1,000 square meters of vacant lots into productive gardens and has become a popular destination for the local community. The gardens produce over 2 tons of fresh fruits and vegetables each year and are maintained by a team of urban gardeners.

Example 5: The Guerrilla Gardeners, Worldwide

Guerrilla gardening is the act of gardening on land that the gardener does not have the legal right to use. This could include abandoned parking lots or neglected public spaces. Guerrilla gardening transforms neglected spaces into green areas, and can sometimes be considered a form of activism. Guerrilla gardening has become a global movement, with groups in cities around the world creating guerrilla gardens that promote sustainable living and community engagement.

Take Alessandro’s Earthed Course and discover the power of an urban garden.

The post What Is Urban Gardening? appeared first on Earthed.