The Triple Bottom Line

There's a relationship between design of marketplaces and the success of local businesses, including food system related operations. Here I go into the dynamic in the particular place that I am working in, but the concepts are near universal I suspect. Walkability via non motorized paths, smart design of vehicular infrastructure, and proper placement of developments, including spaces for the sale of locally produced wares (such as produce) is key, and I suggest there's an optimal pattern or design code.

There have been some struggles and lessons learned the hard way out here on Family and Friends Farm in Petaluma California this summer. I discuss observations in adequate irrigation, considerations for affordably improving the soil, including making and using “JADAM” microbial solution, and other efforts to increase yields of vegetables.

Living in Ca, the threat of fire is present, as summer is beginning to bake our grasslands. We're all concerned and trying to do our best preventative maintenance. However I'm puzzled by what seems an unnecessarily tenuous and arduous situation. I dove into some local history and was challenged by what I found. For over 10k years prior to 1820, the region I call home was managed much differently by the people who lived here. They deliberately burned all dry organic matter, staying ahead of catastrophic fires, and in the process creating a highly livable, beautiful and easy to manage landscape. The past 150 years of arrogantly ignorant mismanagement has manufactured this crisis. Moreover our current prevention practice depends on problematic fossil fuel based machines. Though today we cannot set fires as they did, we can still learn from and put in practice indigenous landscaping techniques, and empower individual households to safely burn off refuse on site.

Here I talk about my experiences building a customer base or outlets to sell vegetables as a small scale grower, at local farmers markets.

Here's a bit about the strategy we are using to prepare ground for growing vegetables while building soil at Family and Friends Farm. We start by covering ground with tarps for a few weeks. Then pull it off, add a layer of compost, work it in, then plant into it. After 2 successions of plantings, a cover crop mix is seeded. We will use native seeds for the cover crops. After that matures, it's smothered with the tarp, and the process repeats. This all done without mechanization, no tractor.

I've started a small produce farm on family land, using minimalistic methods. Here I ramble about the farms founding, and some of the early decision making considerations, and initial methodology.

I've had a significant life change which has brought me back to my hometown of Petaluma Ca. I'm starting a vegetable farm, and have been getting acquainted with local affairs across the spectrum of issues. This season will involve discussions centered here and now, and how the triple bottom line framework is, is not, could and should apply. Thus though this will be much about particulars here, I suppose the issues are similar in many other localities, as they look to gain autonomy.

A critique of using corporate online media sources and food giveaways as part of a regional food security strategy.

Ins and outs of managing this urban farm market in Wilmington, DE

Details and data about managing our urban fam market

A rundown of whats been involved in managing this urban farm and market.

Ramblings on data I've gathered around strategies for building a regionalized food system in the greater Wilmington Delaware region

A look at some early season happenings and take aways from this urban farm and market.

Discussing what goes into managing the Bellevue Farm and Market, an urban farm that hosts and is a vendor at a seasonal farmers market. I talk about what went in to gaining this ground, about balancing the budget and future prospects.

I've joined the Delaware Urban Farm and Food Coalition's Policy Committee. They are organizing a set of recommendations for the city of Wilmington. Listen for my commentary.

A review of historian Mark Wetheringtons account of American farm history, and the influences that led to challenges we face today with farming, including namely control, consolidation, and technology. The info in this book is critical to understanding so much about more broadly our food system, our economy, our society. Highly recommended

Just watched this documentary, and have some commentary on it. I appreciate the emphasis on soil management in relation to many of the challenges we face broadly in society, a relationship that is often overlooked. The promotion of best soil practices makes sense. I would just add as an actionable for the average person who cares, but is not directly working in the soil, a somewhat easy to follow and related directive is buying local, since locally sourced products especially food, are generally better for the soil.

Amid ongoing global crisis, which perhaps as it pertains to us in the US is ticking up, we are effected by the fallout. One effect, as some who are generally less focused on the food system are observing, is that food prices are increasing, while simultaneously there are threats of shortages. The way I observe it is another reason for shifting to more regionally self reliant food systems, which are inherently more immune to outside catastrophe, namely because they use far less fuel.

ANDI scores of food micronutrient content have greens like kale, collards and chard atop the list. Here's to the category of foods that I believe is a simple key to increasing wellness in individuals, but also a key focal point for initiatives aimed at addressing community wide wellness.

A lot more people have been interested in foreign policy the past few weeks, which could be good, but I wonder why now amid a steady amount of ongoing global conflicts. Hopefully there will be more determination to advocate for deescalation of armed conflicts and arms dealing overseas. Though the triple bottom line podcast has been mostly about local affairs, a lot of the initiatives can work but face capital constraints. Meanwhile a high percentage of all taxpayer dollars go to bankrolling our military industrial complex, supporting a defense strategy to secure cheap imported products, namely oil. With regionalism, dependence on exports would be negligible. No jobs lost, more resilient economies, less war.

At the beginning of this podcast project, I talked a lot about fitness. Since I am no longer in the fitness industry, or in sport coaching, I don't have as much to say about it. In this episode I look back on some experiences that shifted my perspective on fitness.

Here I talk about our yearly vegetable plot growing plan, including special considerations, successional seeding, type specific growing times, allotting time for garden work through the season, harvest times and yield quantities.

Why universal basic income is feasible and a correct directive for jurisdictions that want to be stronger from the bottom up.

If we were to get the most bang for our buck in initiatives toward increasing access to healthy food for busy working families and food insecure individuals, seems to me support for starting up locally owned healthy fast food restaurants with delivery service should be considered.

A classic book with implications for triple bottom line heroics that echoes through to today.

I'm out at the Bellevue Community Gardens, taking a look at what's growing in late December, and talk about what veggies can be grown even as the days shorten and get colder.

I've been doing some calculations on how to systematically feed a given population of people, from farm production, to processing, marketing and delivery. At each step looking at the number of workers needed, and setting a fair wage. Also accounting for startup and fixed costs to run each sector effectively, which reveals the amount of income needed for each sector. Many interesting takeaways come from this model, but most striking is what it indicates more broadly about how our corporate profit driven norm is unsustainable, inefficient, morally corrupt and of by and for just a few individuals. We could do better if we did not allow CEO's and shareholders to constantly be skimming off the top, and instead require that all gains be invested back into the system, to increase production capacity, to increase workers salaries, and/or to lower the costs for consumers

I visited Atl last week. There I walked through some devastatingly disinvested neighborhoods. I also saw one of the coolest neighborhoods I've ever seen: The Beltway, an old industrial section retrofitted to offer a wonderful place where you really can live, work and play. It made the question burn in my mind: can we do urban renewal projects that actually work for all people in a place, including poor and disenfranchised people?

I've been working to reach an agreement to fill a role with the county assisting with their farmers markets, plus initiating a growing operation on county land. This effort I think is interesting in a broader context around how to convince governments to invest more on food security initiatives that get at the heart of the problem while creating opportunities for local involvement, employment, and ownership, which I suspect are the ingredients for true resiliency.

Farmers markets are struggling to remain viable, while food insecurity grows. What will it take for them to survive? Should cares act money be spent to bolster infrastructure to convert farmers markets into permanent markets with community kitchens to process and add value and ease of eating of local produce, with affordable subscription shares and delivery service?

Considerations for macro level food system planning to improve population nutrition and economic performance for food system industries.

A bit about the planning process for small scale veggy farming

Many of us sense there is more that can be done collectively to improve the wellbeing in our communities for everyone. However the question of “how are we going to pay for it” often halts any progress. Seems to me there are myriad fundraising approaches, like taxing profits, which would generate a ton more revenue than current schemes, without crippling working people and locally owned businesses.

Discussion about my visit to Pops Old Place, a rotation ally grazing based farm in Hurlock, Md.

Considerations for making a measurable difference in neighborhoods with inadequate availability of high nutrient foods through urban farming.

A bit about what the Triple Bottom Line Podcast season 2 will be about. I'll tell you some stories about my ventures in small scale farming for food security, and highlight themes that I'm observing echoing across wavelengths of perception, on topics including ecological and urban planning, universal community empowerment, worker centered economics, and homegrown leadership.

New season of 3x begins with the dark reality of the tech eclipse, where our existence is getting sucked down into 2 dimensions

This is a recap of the recap of the Delaware Food Policy Seminar. Credit to all who are currently working on regional food planning, and hoping that we can come together more collaboratively through organizing into food hubs.

Here's an audio recording that will have a picture slideshow connected with it (hopefully sometime later in the month). In it I talk about the goings on with Omnia Humanitas on the Kranz Farm at White Clay Creek State Park

In addressing food access issues, I believe strongly in building regional autonomy in the food system. But how do we define a region, and how would we plan for greater localized production to consumption. The use of the term “foodshed” can be used to define the concept, mathematically calculating needs, establishing best growing practices, and setting production goals is part of the process I see to get results.

An interesting event featuring food system stakeholders across sectors, with discussions centered around COVID responses to food related issues in the state. Highlights included efforts made by mostly volunteers coordinated by various agencies to offer food to those in need, who are aware that these issues existed before COVID, and that systemic change is needed to get at the core of the issue. Lowlights included some speakers who wasted our time by talking in circles, not answering the question of how they are working to deal with problems, coping out and putting the onus on free or cheap labor. Overall, pretty representative of the state of our food system.

Opening of markets, making, planting in and harvesting many beds of greens and roots, the barn cleanup nearly completed, progress made on prep for RFP response, new community relationships formed, and amazing volunteer help and work from staff, despite a tight budget.

This week the DCFFP held an annual seminar, gathering stakeholders from across the food system to discuss how theyve handled the last year plus given COVID. I have the opportunity to speak on a panel with other farmers. The main point im hoping to get across is that we have an unprecidented opportunity to expand our markets due to increased public interest in regionalized food systems. However, the greatest limiting factor is in getting enough workers to grow fast enough to meet the demand. It doesnt help that our margins are so tight, in an industry where nearly all workers earn low wages. What i propose is grant funding to support food system wages.

Inspired by ongoing talks around a federal infrastructure plan, I discuss what I believe to be an ideal bill. What im looking for is a spending criteria that utilizes a triple bottom line, regionalist approach, financed through a wealth tax, which I believe could lift the standard of living for most Americans, build greater ecological stability, bring about greater economic justice, and grow the total wealth of our nation.

Are we going to build back better? As I have been calling for a federal infrastructure bill (see previous episodes), I am excited to see that discussions are underway. Earlier in the month a 2 trillion dollar bill was proposed by the dems, including investments in a number of infrastructure related programs, with a supposed way to pay for it via various tax reforms. Subsequent talks have centered around defining what exactly constitutes as infrastructure, and in which sectors the federal government should be intervening. As of today it seems likely that something will pass, but it will be far smaller. Im hopeful that something bigger will get done for the sake of our many ravaged communities who lack the basics to live free and well, when we have massive wealth pooling and concentrating into few hands. Its time to pop some bubbles and make it rain on our communities. Alas, I have little confidence that much will come of this given the deep, stinking corruption in leadership. I bet they will find a way to fuck this up.

March was a big success on the Kranz Farm. We got alot of amazing help from volunteers, which enabled us to complete most of our goals for the month. Included were creating new market and packing spaces in the barn, amending and planting 30 4'x50' beds of greens and roots, beginning to free range Guinea Hens in the field, and much organizational planning and preparation for entering a long term lease agreement with the state on the Kranz property.

The final episode on fixing the food system “closes the loop,” discussing waste management challenges and opportunities. I focus on two particular types of wastes: plastics and food waste. Tones of plastic used at various sectors of the system ends up in the landfill, slowly breaking down, releasing synthetic particulates that leach into the waterways. Meanwhile organic alternatives exist, and are a robust investment away from becoming widely available. Food waste is inevitable, but support for efforts to gather and process it locally, then have it be utilized on local farms can turn a burden into an asset.

I’ve been studying the Lenape, a group that inhabited the area around what is now the Delaware River, including what is now the Kranz Farm. Though not much detail can be found from their perspective, getting familiar with their land use practices, from development to agriculture, as well as land access rules, colors in the historical picture, and gives me a deeper sense of respect for the land that I now work for sustenance.

I first heard of the municipal policy enacted in 93’ in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, a few years back. The other day I randomly remembered about it, and began to wonder if the policy was still underway. Did the effort work to help food insecure families as it set out to? At a glance, it appears to have worked, and has even garnered recognition for its persistence through covid. They subsidize local farmers to sell low cost direct to customer at farmers markets, and to public restaurants throughout the city. Cafeteria style daily meals, simple but well rounded with local ingredients, available pay what you can. This effort ERADICATED food insecurity in a city with 1million suffering. Meanwhile, this effort costs a mere 2% of the cities annual spending. Our problems with the issue here in the states, though too prevalent, are not as prevalent as in Brazil. Plus our states and cities have more wealth. There is no excuse for not replicating the Belo policy in every us city, region or state. This is the kind of transformative investment that we can make to uplift working families across the country as part of a stimulus package. Regardless of the locus of control, federal, state, municipal, non profit, private, if anyone with money and social capital gave a shit, they would consider investing in a community cafeteria program.

Those of us who have the means, and have access to “triple bottom line food” can help the many who do not currently have access by prioritizing locally grown and produced foods. This would positively influence public health, education and local economies. However the influence of consumerism to fix the food system should not be overstated, as it often is. We cannot simply buy our way to fixing the food system, there are structural changes needed in several food system sectors, discussed in other episodes in this series.

There have been rumors that democrats may take up and push through the progressive $15 per hour minimum wage policy. Though I think it’s insane how low paying many workers wages are relative to their workload and the wealth of our nation, I can’t see the $15 minimum wage helping much by itself. Also it will disadvantage independent businesses, which simply do not have the cash on hand to pay $15 for all the work that needs to get done. Not to mention enforcement; nearly impossible to ensure all actually get paid $15/hr. Unless... we do a UBI. Collect wealth taxes federally and distribute directly to individuals. An amount that covers the basics. That way everyone has access to the American dream, and reach thier full potential to be a contributing member of thier community, instead of suffering in poverty, food and housing insecurity and lack of healthcare. And we have plenty of wealth in this country, pooling in a few locations and oozing into tax havens. UBI is a simple yet directly transformative policy. We should fight for a UBI instead of $15/hr