On this final episode of Rootstock Radio, we're talking to Dr. John Fagan of Earth Open Source Institute about an all-encompassing model of health, climate change, pesticides and science.

It's been a great 4 years of doing this podcast, and we want to thank the thousands of listeners who have celebrated so many Good Food Movement changemakers with us every week. We hope you'll stay connected with us on our blog, Rootstock, at www.organicvalley.coop/blog. 

Today on Rootstock Radio, Chef Luke Zahm of the Driftless Cafe gets real about what it takes to be conscientious in the restaurant industry, and why serving local food is so important to the greater local food system.

Tune in to hear about:

• The unique food and agriculture scene in the Driftless region of Wisconsin (which is, of course, how the Driftless Cafe got its name.)
• Why Luke and his team spend 85% of their food budget sourcing from producers within 100 miles of their restaurant.
• How Luke has made telling the stories of farmers central to his business model.
• Important conversations taking place among chefs about how to celebrate local food and farmers without grandstanding or exploiting the “trendiness” of farm-to-table.
• The difference between a fad and a revolution, according to Luke (and why organic is clearly the latter.)

Mari Margil and her team at the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund are committed to defending the rights of our environment under the law. Already they have assisted the first places in the world to secure Rights of Nature in law, including in Ecuador, where these rights are now written into the country’s constitution.

Recently, the organization was instrumental in advocating for the rights of Lake Erie to be protected against agricultural pollution, which has also been polluting the water of Toledo, Ohio, residents. In February, Ohio voters passed the “Lake Erie Bill of Rights” law, a first-of-its-kind measure that could set a positive precedent for other Rights of Nature laws.

Listen in to hear more about how our environment can - and should - have a lawyer. 

Today on Rootstock Radio, we’re talking with Anthony Reyes, Farm Manager at Homeless Garden Project in Santa Cruz, California. Anthony’s interest in food and agriculture was piqued in college, where he studied food, agriculture and social justice. But after he got a job not just thinking about agriculture, but actually working with his hands in the soil, his focus shifted from theoretical policy, to being on the ground making change in big and small ways.

Which is—of course—part of how Anthony found himself farm manager of an urban farm and garden that employs, educates and nourishes people experiencing homelessness.

Today we’re talking to community organizer Ashleigh Eubanks of RiseBoro Community Partnership, where her work includes food systems education, supporting local co-op development, building cross-movement solidarity and fostering local leadership. Not only that, Ashleigh was named one of Brooklyn Magazine’s “30 Under 30” for her work as a food justice organizer in 2018. Tune in to hear her story of growing up in a food desert, and how the inequality she saw inspired her to make change.

WWOOF’s model for cultural exchange on organic farms connects people from all over the world through shared values of good food, sustainability and community. WWOOF was doing ecotourism before that term had even been invented! Tune in to hear about how WWOOFing works, how it's changed since the 1970s, and how it has led many people to organic farming (and showed a few that the farming life wasn't for them - and that's a good thing to know). 

Have you ever stopped to think about how the plants that produce our seeds are treated? Today on Rootstock Radio Cara Loriz, Executive Director at Organic Seed Alliance, is talking about an often-overlooked and truly fundamental piece of our food and agriculture system: seeds.

Farm infrastructures in the U.S. are designed to support either very big or very small farms, which sometimes leaves mid-sized producers—the “Ag of the Middle”—without resources or a market. Amanda Oborne of Ecotrust is supporting these often-overlooked farms in order to create a flourishing regional food system.

We’re ringing in the 49th anniversary of Earth Day with a special Rootstock Radio conversation with Chef Mary Cleaver, one of the country’s foremost authorities on sustainable food and local sourcing. She's also an alumnus of Earth Dinner, a special themed dinner that brings friends and family together for an intentional, meaningful meal on Earth Day (or really, any day!). 

Tune in to hear about:

• Mary’s ideal Earth Dinner menu (we’re salivating…)
• How Mary has literally watched the “eat local” movement come into being in NYC, from one market selling local products in 1976 to over 55 today.
• Helping other NYC chefs to bring local ingredients to restaurants across the city.
• Why Mary believes there is a big difference between what hits your tongue and the energy that flows through your body as a result.
• The one thing Mary would encourage everyone to do in celebration of Earth Day, or any day of the year!

Today on Rootstock Radio, Cheyenna Layne Weber, Brooklyn-based writer and community organizer with the Cooperative Economics Alliance of New York City, talks about her pursuit of art and activism that elevates the needs of people and the planet over profit. Hear about the "solidarity economy" (aka "new economics" or "regenerative economics") and how everyone can be involved.