Founder of Nutiva and Executive Producer of Kiss the Ground, John Roulac, was catalyzed into environmental activism and entrepreneurship at a young age when nuclear waste was dumped just miles from where he grew up. This led him on his life path of learning to honor nature, creating a hugely successful superfood company, and now actively promoting regeneration of the planet through several nonprofits, including Agroforestry Regeneration Communities (ARC), which has facilitated the planting of 2 million trees and 5,000 food forests. We talk all things ethical entrepreurship, the importance of not succumbing to divisive narratives in the media, techniques for regenerating the planet and resource recommendations from John for people looking to walk this path. This is a broad-reaching episode with one of the most successful entrepreneurs in this movement, and I’m honored to have hosted this interview!
Agroforestry Regeneration Communities
Join the Regenerative Rituals Course + Community waitlist
Book a 1:1 Green Guidance session
Recommended books: The Ecology of Commerce by Paul Hawken and The Way of the Wyrd by Ryan Bates
There’s 500 million farmers in the global south that can plant 500 billion trees with basic empowerment. This is what John helps to facilitate with Agroforestry Regeneration Communities; he firmly believes in being of service brings value to our own lives.
Ethical entrepreneurship: the importance of focusing on culture for their supply chain and their team - if toxic things get put into a petri dish, when things multiply in that, they’re unhealthy. Recognizing intelligence in employees, no matter their qualifications or background, and promoting and advancing especially women. Also helping provide productive trees and other resources for producers.
Acknowledging our privilege and using it to try to make things better & be active catalysts for positive change.
Critiques of Kiss the Ground’s erasure of the indigenous practices/indigenous knowledge base.
Current issues of losing 70% of winged insects, 60% of plankton in the ocean (and losing 1-2% per year due to pesticides and acidification of the oceans eating their shells, respectively), it’s key to focus on regeneration & restoring the water cycle.
The distinction between harm reduction & active regeneration - they get mixed by sources that greenwash. There’s no product to buy that can fix the systemic issues that we have.
Rotational grazing as an option for regenerating landscapes & increasing soil health & rainfall, as well as partnering with beavers and using check dams, and intentional burning - the importance of ACTING instead of blaming people.
Collapse may be what will finally wake people up to the importance of drastic change - and being open to it.
Generational and economic difficulties for millennials and younger - returning to communal living, living in more rural areas, working remotely - our economic system is not designed for success.
His experiences meeting people with the least amount of money, and them having the most warmth, happiness, connection, openness, being more dynamic and alive - true wealth!