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MAGAZINE

VOLUME VII • “ONE” “Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children.”

—Native American Proverb

Climate Change David Rind, PhD 20

ATMOSPHERE

Volcanologist Jess Phoenix Jaime Lubin 10

Kiss the Ground 47 Soil Guy 51 Lubin/Pinto

Honey Pot: Smoking Buddha Scott Longnecker 62

Blunt Talk: Canada Legalizes David Feldman 72 Interview with Roz McCarthy Brian Van Remmen 73 6 | HONEYSUCKLE MAGAZINE • honeysucklemag.com

CR US T NIC

Champion in our Midst Dadly Filius 71

N

I Love You, MJ 70

EA

Smoke Weed, Save the Earth Kymberly Byrnes 68

CONTINENTAL CRUST

MANTLE

Don’t Tap Out Global Water/Clean Access Katie Stromme 24

OC EA

Inside Leaf Packaging 66

OC

Natural Magic: Craig Zaffe and Your CBD Oils 64

Shale Revolution Claude Chereau, PhD 22

CORE Founder/Publisher Ronit Pinto Cover Design Julie Gratz

Deputy Editor/Art Director Naomi Rosenblatt Guest Reporters Liz Montgomery Brian Van Remmen

Editors Katie Stromme Jessica Bern

Cover Stories: DiCaprio: King Leo 34 Natural Woman: Emma Bell 38 Kaya 41 The Marley Family “DX 21” Dasun 42 Rainforests: An Update Naomi Rosenblatt 28

Art Work by: Jordan Taylor Wright Retro, B Joy Beckerman: Interview Robin Eisenberg Citizen Daily 57 GeoThermal Aaron Koolik in Iceland Samuel Clemens Long Christopher DeWan NoCo: The Hemp Michelle Manley 18 Revolution 54 Sparrowhawk Eli Neugeboren Earth is Sentient Lori Lipten 32 Arctic Film Ronit Pinto 44

Creative Direction Sam C. Long Managing Editor Jaime Lubin Consulting Editors Patricia Bosworth Art Intern Soleil Nathwani Emily Ferrara West Coast Nadya Rousseau

House Poet Jay Neugeboren

Quantum Leap: Interviewing Kate Mulder & Michael Klein 14

Columns and Profiles: Turn on/Tune In/Geek Out Katie Stromme on Kiki Sanford 8 Nature’s Calling Marcel van Luit 30 Rialto Report: EcoSexual Revolution April Hall 76 Tiny Houses Nick Lioudis 78 The Future of Fashion Arielle Toelke 80 Good News Disguised as Bad David Bergman 82 Film Review: Children of Men Matt Saber 84 Ask an Exotic White Guy Samuel Clemens Long 85 Tarot: The Sun Theresa Reed 86 And more on “green” and “one”... honeysucklemag.com • HONEYSUCKLE MAGAZINE | 7

DEAR READER Our seventh printed issue is designed to bring us all back to life’s essential values, namely that we call the same beautiful planet home. We began with the concept of sustainability, identifying people and projects dedicated to saving the Earth and combating climate change. But as we traveled around the globe, we learned that rescue doesn’t come simply from recycling or using solar panels (although those help). True change depends on understanding how everything – humans, animals, plants, the soil, oceans and elements – connects. That’s known as “eco-holism” or “quantum thinking” but at its heart it just means “We Are One.” As you’ll hear from Mother Earth herself in our Spirit column, she’s in dire straits, but embracing oneness is humanity’s best chance to restore planetary wellness. In these pages you’ll discover how experts across disparate industries and backgrounds, many of whom were unaware of each other’s efforts, still carried the same mantras. From geologist-turned-political-activist Jess Phoenix, to adult film icon Annie Sprinkle, organic cowboy/bestselling author Doug Fine, spiritual filmmaker Jordan Taylor Wright, and the entire Marley Family who preach the gospel of One Love through generations, the words echoed: Connection. Togetherness. All. How do we come together? That’s the most extraordinary part. We’re taking you inside the world of regenerative agriculture, practices in eco-holism that literally start from the ground up. Find out how we can reverse global desertification from award-winning filmmaker Josh Tickell, whose upcoming documentary Kiss the Ground highlights the pioneers working to revitalize our soil. Ray Archuleta “the soil guy,” a pioneer of the movement, is featured in the film and explains to us how going regenerative will indelibly change American farmers for the better.

We’re witnessing history here, not just in topsoil management but in the booming hemp industry.

From our previous CANNABIS issue, we expand to the plant’s versatile cousin and the people who love it.

Our journey to NoCo Hemp Expo, the largest hemp-centric conference in the country, opened the doors to the next great industrial revolution just as the U.S. Senate went all in for legalization. Read on to know why hemp is a vital piece of the new regenerative economy, and see our exclusive cannabis-news HONEY POT for the latest on the Green Rush.

And let’s reiterate that you don’t have to be a scientist, farmer, or politician to speak up. Our cover celebrities Leonardo DiCaprio, Damian Marley, and Emma Bell are all using their public platforms and creative talents to spread education. Fashion companies large and small are reinventing sustainable, affordable designs for all consumers. Even the Arctic itself becomes a proving ground for planetary bonding when actor Mads Mikkelsen is stranded there, in a new movie from the producers of Mudbound.

(Plus, bioplastics now exist!)

There’s no doubt we’re in a chaotic age, but light and balance emerge from chaos if we fight for them.

We need to recognize how each of us contributes to that fight, and make the best possible choices we can. That’s how we’ll survive, how future generations will be able to enjoy a healthy Earth for many more centuries—unified and appreciating our glorious connections.

We hope you’ll reach your own epiphanies from these stories. There are multiple paths to oneness, all equally valuable, and each has the ultimate reward of a brighter tomorrow. So what world do you want to live in? To quote Captain Planet, dear reader, “the power is yours.”

Ronit Pinto, Founder/Publisher Jaime Lubin, Managing Editor Naomi Rosenblatt, Deputy Editor/Art Director

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MIND BODY SPIRIT

Jordan Taylor Wright,

AS HUMANS WE LIVE / WITHIN THE THIRD DIMENSION. HOWEVER WHEN WE ARE IN HARMONY WITHIN/ OUR MIND, BODY, AND SPIRIT, WE TRANSCEND THE 3D EXPERIENCE / TO SEE, HEAR, AND FEEL / THAT OF LIGHT. WE REACH ENLIGHTENMENT, AND OPERATE FROM OUR CONSCIOUS AWARENESS TO BECOME ONE WITH THE INFINITE UNIVERSE / WITHIN AND AROUND US. —Jordan Taylor Wright

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Science Communications and the Human Connection Katie Stromme

Turn On Tune In Geek Out To see a system or process as purely the sum of its parts, in scientific terms, is referred to as reductionism.

It is common in all types of research, and involves, for example, studying neurons’ plasma membranes to better understand human consciousness.

But this approach offers only a sliver of the whole picture of the human experience, which is inextricably linked to language, culture, art, and social sciences.

Knitting together different topics and disciplines expands scientific conversations and insights, and requires a holistic perspective. Bridging the divide between these two modes of thinking are science communicators, who break down complex and hyper-focused scientific studies into language laypeople can understand by translating jargon, drawing connections to other disciplines, and connecting cutting-edge research to potential impact on daily life.

It is with a holistic frame of mind that science communicator and neurophysiologist Dr. Kirsten “Kiki” Sanford works when sharing fascinating flashes of cutting-edge research to her audience of science enthusiasts and, as she puts it, “people who might have flunked chemistry.”

Though reductionism is critical for researchers, who must undertake meticulous, isolated projects in their field, reaching an audience of nonscientists is better accomplished through the lens of holistic thinking.

“It was something I struggled with as a grad student,” Dr. Kiki said. Her research during her PhD involved dissecting birds’ brains. “I had to think hard about ‘How is this contributing to knowledge about the world?’” She acknowledged that a narrow focus is necessary for most types of research; however, for better or worse, funding is frequently tied into scientists’ ability to provide evidence of the broader impacts of their work, forcing a holistic

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viewpoint from the outset.

Dr. Kiki is the host of two science podcasts: The Stem Cell Podcast, Podcast, and This Week in Science (TWiS), which she began as a radio program while she was attending graduate school at the University of California, Davis.

The shows often focus on the absurd, humorous, or culturally topical. Past items of discussion have included insect evolution, the link between entropy and intelligence in humans, global warming’s impact on bird migration, and male newt kidneys (Sexy! Who knew?)

Science communicators have the opportunity to apply a holistic framework to polarizing issues, and tease apart politics from factual, observable evidence. Citing a recent study of 25 developed nations, Dr. Kiki explained that of all the countries that were studied, the United States was an outlier in having climate change denial so closely tied to a specific political identity. She mused, optimistically: “That makes me wonder if someone with the opposite agenda—if you could modulate identities…”

Vehement climate change deniers are a small but vocal minority. Many people have simply not yet made up their minds. Armed with an understanding of how global warming impacts our daily lives through effects on the economy, national infrastructure, and human health, scientists and science communicators can locate entry points in the wider conversation to deemphasize the issue’s political aspects.

Doing so also allows them to consider the range of effects people will have to contend with as climate change ramps up in coming years.

For example, changes to the weather patterns and ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico can impact the viability of shellfish fisheries and efficiency of shipping supply chains—these are perhaps more meaningful than, say, Stormtracker images of a hurricane.

When people’s finances or convenience factors are impacted, they can become more willing to make changes to their routines to help mitigate those impacts.

That can also serve as a jumping-off point to talk about some of the most dire and urgent impacts of climate change, such as the disproportionate effect it will have on low-income people and developing nations.

A resolute realist when it comes to factors that influence decision-making, Dr. Kiki knows that communications require a firm understanding of human behavior and rhetorical strategies in how to best educate an audience, inspire curiosity, or incite action. Although the current federal administration has, for many groups, renewed participation in grassrootslevel organizing, there are far more people who don’t get involved for lack of perceived incentive, time, money, or resources to participate in weekly meetings or donate to help out. Dr. Kiki acknowledges that “the average person is [so] focused on what’s happening in their daily life, there have to be incentives or something that encroaches on [that].” Hence, the connection to shrimp availability and gas prices.

Another crucial role that science communicators play relates to public perceptions of the discipline, and the shifts occurring in scientific workplaces. Even in 2018, women often find themselves leading the charge to make space for themselves in science in very basic ways. The hashtag #Stillascientist began trending on May 7, 2018, and was initiated by wildlife biologist and PhD researcher Imogene Cancellare to call out the misogyny behind comments she had received that her appearance was too “glamorous” for a scientist. More women used the hashtag to point out that scientists’ hobbies or backgrounds may be widely varied, and none of which negate their work in their field.

Dr. Kiki Sanford

Images and lists unfolded of women scientists wearing dresses and makeup, being mothers, struggling with depression, cosplaying, pole dancing, riding horses, or describing growing up in a different country. Embracing a holistic framework in science means widening the public conception of who scientists are, what they do, and what they look like—women are not content to squeeze into the narrow boxes of prior generations.

A 2015 study from the National Science Foundation found that in the United States, white men still hold an overwhelming majority 48.7% of all jobs in science and engineering; white women hold the next-highest percentage at 17.9%, and the numbers only shrink from there (Hispanic women hold just 1.8% of these jobs). Dr. Kiki looks forward to seeing more women moving into leadership positions at research institutes, onto panels at conferences, nominated for prestigious awards, and heading up scientific publications, though she is uncertain of what the effects might be, long-term. It is conceivable that, with a broader talent pool and greater diversity of perspectives given space at the table, both methodologies and applications of research could be altered for the better.

Dr. Kiki recently sat down with her son to watch the launch of Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin rocket, and recalled watching NASA launches herself as child, on a black and white TV in the rural California home where she grew up. Despite always being encouraged to ask questions, engage with the natural world, and explore the environment around her, Dr. Kiki was at a loss for role models when she first felt herself drawn to the field. Still, she was confident about the direction she wanted to take her academic “I do think it makes a difference. career, and noted the constant intersection of her twin Reaching into space adds to that sense interests in science and communications. Of watching of wonder and what else humanity can the the rocket launches, she said, “I do think it makes do to drive creativity and innovation.” a difference. Reaching into space adds to that sense of wonder and what else humanity can do to drive creativity and innovation.”

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The Planetary Renaissance

Geologist Jess Phoenix on Congress & Connections Jaime Lubin

Jess Phoenix on the campaign trail ( Photos courtesy of Press Pass LA)

If our country, our planet, is going to survive, we need to start looking for connections. Jess Phoenix taught me that.

Now it’s my job to share her lessons with you, and yours to share with others. Each one teaches one—that’s how we grow together.

Maybe you’ve heard about Jess already. She’s the volcanologist from California’s 25th District who famously vowed to bring “Star Trek values” to Congress. By that she means taking Gene Roddenberry’s vision of a peaceful, conscientious, development-focused society and working toward our best possible future.

“Live long and prosper is a great motto!” Jess declared with a laugh when she and I sat down at The Explorers Club in New York City during her campaign tour. “Seeing a future where people of different races and species are living together, working not to fight wars but to explore the universe—that’s where we should be going. If that’s not our ideal, why are we doing anything? We should be working toward a good end. Then there’s the Vulcan motto, which is ‘Infinite diversities, infinite combinations,’ and that to me is so scientific and natural. It makes me think of everything from microbes to stars. That is what we have, this limitless universe in front of us and we don’t 12 | HONEYSUCKLE MAGAZINE • honeysucklemag.com

know how long time will go on for. [We need] that kind of openness to exploring the world.”

Jess practices what she preaches in every respect. As a geologist, she has traversed six continents going deep into the heart of active volcanoes, piloted a submersible to the bottom of the ocean, hosted investigative programs on The Discovery Channel, and founded a nonprofit called Blueprint Earth (among so much else – see her Twitter and Reddit AMA for the laundry list of her experiences).

The now five-year-old Blueprint Earth brings students and scientists across various fields together to catalogue environments and discover connections between all life forms on our planet. It’s a culmination of everything Jess believes in: education, evidence-based research, and celebrating the extraordinary beauty of Earth with your fellow inhabitants. She calls the combination a theory of “Planetary Renaissance,” or recognizing our world as a series of interlinked systems that all require respect and representation.

Even before I studied her philosophy, I was hooked on Jess’s story. Not long after the 2016 presidential election, I saw her posting in a Seven Sisters Facebook group (I’m a Barnard graduate, she from Smith) about being galvanized to run for office and flip her district from red to blue.

She faced a huge challenge: As the only district in Los Angeles County that’s been Republican-led since 1983, the 25th’s current House Congressman is Steve Knight, a hardline conservative who’s consistently backed the Trump administration’s anti-science and anti-environment policies.

But Jess’s positive message, unusually diverse knowledge base, and rational, egalitarian approach to major issues made her a candidate to watch.

People around the country agreed. In rapid succession she started appearing on CBS, CNN, and PBS; receiving celebrity endorsements from the likes of Patton Oswalt and Joss Whedon (plus a slew of Star Trek alumni including Michael Dorn, Marina Sirtis, Wil Wheaton and Tim Russ); and garnering numerous civilian supporters. By the June 2018 primaries, Jess had over 7,000 individual donors, the most out of any candidate in her district.

This is significant because of an important statistic: In any given election, only .58% of Americans donate to political campaigns.

“We have to get everybody involved. It’s about spreading the word and engaging the people who thought their voices didn’t matter. Actually, it really does!”

Less than 1% of our country’s population dictates who gets on the ballot, yet Phoenix managed to convince nearly 10% of her district to pledge financial contributions toward her grassroots crusade. For over a year she spent time getting to know her prospective constituents, hosting Spanish-language meet-and-greets in the area’s predominantly Latin neighborhoods, visiting schools (where she was already a familiar face thanks to Blueprint Earth’s reachout programs), and actively listening to stories from those who saw her as a much-needed force of good in politics.

“We have to get everybody involved,” Jess asserted when we met. “It’s about spreading the word and engaging the people who thought their voices didn’t matter. Actually, it really does! The House of Representatives is supposed to be the people’s house, with all different backgrounds: Scientists and lawyers and businesspeople, but also sanitation workers, janitors, nurses, kindergarten teachers. We need a true representation of America, and to make sure that includes immigrants, people

from underrepresented groups and with disabilities… We don’t have nearly enough access and opportunity for people who are not ‘normal,’ which is terrible, but that’s the truth… I want to see true democracy – a system where people are engaged and they care and are working to uphold their ideals.”

Not only was Jess’s campaign creative and authentic, but she also shed light on the growing number of STEM professionals running for public office. Groups such as the PAC 314 Action have emerged to bolster a movement by the scientific community to bring more evidence-based policy to federal, state, and local governments. Through science, we can find effective long-term solutions to issues like climate change and the opioid epidemic. Since 2016, 314 Action has endorsed over 60 scientists in political races and offers training to those in the STEM community seeking to become candidates.

Phoenix puts her own twist on the classic Uncle Sam poster

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According to Jess, the scientific method bridges party divides: “People disagree so much on policy and how you get there. You can cut through all that by saying, ‘Fundamentally, we want clean air, clean water, clean soil, and opportunity for our kids.’ If you tell people those are the objectives, how do we get there? I want to get there using evidence and facts. Let’s make sure that whatever we’re doing, there’s data to support it. Even people who may be middle-of-theroad or leaning more conservative will see we have the same goals.”

Those goals ultimately boil down to having a strong, healthy society full of people employed in the most advanced, environmentally-friendly trades. As Phoenix says, “The Fossil Fuel Age isn’t ending because we’re running out of fossil fuels (although it is a finite resource). It’s because we’re finding better ways of doing things. So it’s adapt or die. We have to adapt, and humans are really good at doing that as a species.”

At the Explorers Club, she expanded on this statement, confiding that she doesn’t know “any Republicans who actually think that climate science is wrong.

On Trump’s application to build a

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seawall and protect one of his golf courses in the UK, the reason is listed as ‘Seawall Rise Due to Climate Change.’ It’s right there. He knows it.

Follow the money. It’s the big fossil fuel companies that are pulling the strings, and it’s corrupted the [political] system. Until we can elect people that are willing to push back and not be beholden to these big donors and shadowy pacts, it’s going to be business as usual. We’re really hurting our country.”

Living in the danger zones of southern California, where many communities are still recovering from the 2016 and 2017 wildfires, Phoenix has seen environmental wreckage up close. She helped evacuate animals from the forest areas beset by the deadliest blazes both years, and she understands the fallout that occurs when the government doesn’t support measures to combat climate change – everyone suffers. (Her district’s incumbent Knight voted against allocating tax write-offs to people affected by the ecological disasters.)

Jess’s signature plan was to grow her district as a global hub for green tech research and development, advocating for funds to be invested in the next generations

of sustainable energy. She pointed out that wind turbines harm a lot of wildlife because birds and bats fly into blades, but new funnel designs, which can control the speed of the fuel source, would harness energy in a more efficient way while simultaneously eliminating the danger. Noting her area’s history in the aerospace industry, she added, “We have a lot of manufacturing as a tradition, and knowledge workers who could design and innovate. If we want to tackle these problems, we need federal incentives for more people to go and develop this stuff.”

But another situation, equally pressing, yearns for resolution. An outspoken advocate for commonsense gun reform—which includes limiting magazine capacities, strengthening background checks, and creating a functional nationwide gun database—Phoenix has a personal stake in the issue. She went to high school in Colorado and knew students who were killed in the 1999 Columbine shootings. Funding for the Center for Disease Control to study the effects of gun violence, she states, is crucial.

“In America we have this unique problem. [Gun violence] is an epidemic, and that’s why I think it’s key to get scientists to work on the problem.

You cannot find the solution to something if you can’t measure it, and right now Congress isn’t funding the studies.

If the people in the gun lobby have nothing to worry about, they would be okay with this. But they’re scared. They know we have a problem. The way we regulate guns in our society isn’t common sense, it’s not smart, and we can do a lot better.”

Phoenix explores the Pacific Ocean

IF

“

we want to keep it all going,

Preventively fixing the future entails Jess’s two favorite things, connection and curiosity. Last year at the March for Science, she proclaimed that “society is sick and ignorance is the disease, but curiosity is the cure.”

We need to examine the world around us and take in the bigger picture.

Jess subscribes to a Native American perspective that spans past, present, and future; one should always be conscious of seven generations at a time. Watch what your generation is doing, study what came before you, and understand how each choice you make will impact the three generations following yours.

A poet at heart (by her own admission, she switched from humanities to science in college so she could find more connections), Jess truly believes there’s a spiritual component to saving our planet as well. Our Earth is a living, sentient entity that needs humanity to coexist harmoniously with its plants, animals, and elements.

“We are in a very vibrant place,” she remarked to me. “As humans we have an obligation to adapt to what the planet requires of us, otherwise we’re pretty much done for… If humans are accelerating climate change, we’re contributing to habitat destructions for different species; we’re acidifying the oceans… If we want to keep it all going, to solve problems and protect the environment from overpopulation and human encroachment, then we need to understand how everything is connected. People connect to authenticity in each other and the world around them, and you don’t get more authentic than nature itself. It’s raw, it’s wild, it’s beautiful.

It existed before us; it’ll exist after us. And so I think that we can be good stewards of this place that we’re so lucky to call home.”

to solve problems and protect the environment from overpopulation and human encroachment, then we need to understand how everything is connected.”

Phoenix contemplating a lava lake at Halemaumau, the summit crater of Kilauea, Hawaii

Sadly, Phoenix’s bid for Congress was defeated in the June primaries, where the Republican Knight and Democrat Katie Hill got the top two slots on the ballot. There’s still a chance to flip the 25th, if the liberal factions unite, but the obstacles are daunting.

Frankly, Jess’s loss doesn’t make sense. She embraced bipartisan efforts on her platform, encouraged underrepresented groups to vote and donate, gained endorsements from some of the coolest public personalities around (if you don’t think Chad L. Coleman, Felicia Day, and Tara Strong are awesome, you’re quite mistaken), and utilized mainstream and social media to terrific effect. What we can assume is that people just weren’t ready to listen.

Our country has developed a habit of ignoring the people it needs, which leaves us, unfortunately, with the ones it deserves. I deeply, deeply admire Jess Phoenix and hope she’ll consider running again. She remains active on social media, espousing the same values with which she campaigned.

In July 2018, Jess started a Super PAC called Protect Our Parks. The adventure continues. With enough time, maybe her teachings will begin to take root.

“Connection,” she once explained in a TedTalk, “is the heart of everything we do.” If we can ascertain those bonds, elect the people that recognize them, and do our part to honor the Earth and ourselves, we might have a good shot. May we work together in this Planetary Renaissance—and help humanity rise from the ashes.

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UANTUM

EAP

We’re not at the end of the world—just the world as we know it. It’s time for a major paradigm shift to quantum thinking, or understanding how ecosystems, economic structures, and social cultures connect. Quantum applications in areas from agriculture to finance to meditation are now becoming known as “regenerative” practices, and such techniques hold the key to surviving our current global crises like climate change, limited food production, and a polluted water supply.

But before we can unlock the secrets of the universe, we need to speak its new language. Honeysuckle interviewed regenerative experts Kate Mulder and Michael Klein, co-founders of Neusis Global, a company innovating solutions for the next industrial revolution. They shared some insights on how greater mindfulness will shape our future.

When we say “quantum” and “regenerative,” we’re essentially talking about holistic thinking, realizing that every part affects the whole. What are the first steps people should take to change their perspectives?

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• AN INterVieW• with

KATE MULDER & MICHAEL KLEIN

Art © Jordan Taylor Wright, Background photo © Koolik Visuals

KATE MULDER: A lot of humans need crisis in order to evolve. Ninety-nine percent of the world is not aware of how much things are going to shift [in the near future]. But there’s an opportunity for what I call the full-spectrum economy, for people to come together.

There’s a new framework of regenerative building blocks for humanity; I see them as lifeboats—financial structure, land structure, reverse desertification…

I didn’t expect agriculture to be one of them, but [it makes sense]… It’s really a simple question of, “Am I thinking on a linear level, or am I open to solutions that are multidimensional? Do I believe in some form of agriculture and economy that’s a win-win-win

scenario and multiple-revenue-generating?” That’s the first step. The things that we work on are getting people to realize [quantum] is what they need to access… It’s a business asset, a marketing asset, and that can be applied to every aspect of new solutions for these lifeboats.

MICHAEL KLEIN: This theme of oneness is the universe coming back together. So to help that oneness on the human level, we have to start becoming friends with everything. As a homeopath, I talk [to patients] about, “You’re having this sensitivity to this thing because you have to learn how to become friends with it.”

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KM: As a human race, we see a big problem and then because we’re such hunter-gatherers, because there’s such a need to find out what’s causing the lack of regeneration in the planet and the soil, one of the things we have decided in this day and age is that carbon’s the enemy… It’s the one thing we can track and then go fight. It’s a facet, but if we’re going to go back to this society and these systems and this one approach, it’s understanding that it’s so many other things besides the carbon, and to look at every causality as an input, as a piece of the whole that affects everything.

it. I was able to pull some of these things in: Plant soil science, cultural anthropology, fiscal anthropology, how we’ve been kind of degenerating, how that relates to nutrition that got cut out of medical school, and all these other things.

KM: As a businesswoman with a background in biology, I hope it becomes natural for businesspeople to start thinking about a systematic approach.

KM: Two things are happening. One is demonetization or “things getting cheaper.” But what I envision with agriculture and business and [cryptocurrency] is that we’re going to be in these modern tribes living in this coven-spoke model…

Now, because there’s a generation around [food and water] solutions coming to market, I feel there is more value in these people coming together in regenerative economies. Agriculture is part of it, but other, more decentralized businesses work in selfsustaining matrices that go into that economy in a different and much more holistic way.

20-30 percent of our workforce could be automated in the next few years, but we’re also part of a conscious evolution that’s happening, so I see [artificial intelligence] as a positive thing. I see that as outsourcing the linear portion of our brains… And so there’s a regenerative, economic, multidimensional approach that we can take when we just accept that that’s going to happen.

There are “collective consciousness” studies which show that once 5 percent of a population has adopted a behavior, it will automatically be picked up in other locations.

MK: When you become myopic and look at the horizon and go, “Carbon’s the enemy,” to me, carbon’s not the enemy. It’s essential—one of the building blocks of life. It’s certainly my friend. You need to understand what role it plays in a holistic system.

But first we have to see where we fit into those systems.

MK: The truth is, we’re related to everything. And we should be, and it’s okay. There’s a lot that happens through proprioception—your physical awareness.

Your nervous system can handle 72 inputs per second… That’s everything: temperature, words, the way your chair feels on your ass…

KM: I think that’s a good segue into regenerative agriculture too, because when you understand your response time as humans or as plants or as the soil, you are going to be regenerative in your consciousness. You’re going to be aware of all of that, as opposed to certain industries that focus on a specific outcome, a specific field, color, etc. And the equal vitality and expression of that plant, which will lead to a returning to food and medicine.

MK: Let’s restore food to its role as medicine.

Start with food first, because without the nutritional foundation, medicine won’t be effective.

Is that where sociocultural behaviors come in?

MK: Regenerative culture is its own keyword. [As a pre-med student] I was allowed to develop a holistic health major… That gave me two years to wake up and realize that medicine was not health, that there’s a little bit more, and culture was going to be a part of 18 | HONEYSUCKLE MAGAZINE • honeysucklemag.com

How will transparency be part of a regenerative economy?

KM: There’s now this commonality of people who are thinking, “How was this made?” and just continuing to push that envelope.

MK: People have to want to be aware… It’s like, acknowledge the cancer and stop feeding those areas that are cancerous. Look at the labels! Vote with your dollars as responsibly as possible, because that’s the way the world is changed.

How does that connect to quantum?

KM: Only 5 percent of human behavior is determined by the conscious mind, because what’s actually happening underneath is the unconscious…

We have a software program of the mind that’s steering everything and guiding us on an unconscious level. So this connection to this collective conscious mind goes beyond time and space, and that’s where you step out of that linear framework.

[I was part of a research group] studying the morphogenic field and our energetic frequencies.

The person being monitored would mirror the frequencies of the person sitting across from them.

Their energetic state was affected by the people around them.

MK: Enlightenment says you have to be neutral.

That’s the element of oneness.

KM: Neutral doesn’t mean passive; it’s just not charged. It’s metaphysically impossible to transform somebody else’s state when you’re charged. When you’re connected at the highest frequency, nature abhors a vacuum and allows the person next to you to save it. So I don’t believe in being angry about [climate change deniers]. You can’t change people in that forceful state.

Only 5 percent

of human behavior is determined by the conscious mind, because what’s actually happening underneath is the unconscious…

We have a software program of the mind that’s steering everything and guiding us on an unconscious level.

MK: You can’t make someone see what’s more right when you’re making them more wrong.

So we should be examining every major issue, from climate change to global stock markets, from a holistic point of view?

KM: Biology, dissecting—we spend so much time getting to the micro. But now from a regenerative standpoint, we’re putting everything back together.

Science is coming back around to that agriculture/ economy/finance approach that’s connected and expanding. It’s rebuilding itself. As Masanobu Fukuoka said, “The role of agriculture is not the cultivation of crops, but the perfection of human beings.”

KATE MULDER

MICHAEL KLEIN

Your nervous system can handle

72 inputs per second…

honeysucklemag.com • HONEYSUCKLE MAGAZINE | 19

Welcome to the Land of Renewable Energy

Photos of Liceland courtesy of Christopher DeWan and Kapall Marketing Consultancy

Christopher DeWan

“Iceland is like nowhere else on earth...”

Sitting at the edge of the Arctic Circle and on top of the Mid-Atlantic Range—the intersection of the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates—it is a real-life land of ice and fire, and the two elements collide in ways that are spectacular to behold.

The approach to Iceland’s international airport in Keflavík offers a sudden introduction to why so many tourists visit the island each year: At sunrise, the low-angled light flickers across the ocean, illuminating colossal glaciers and steaming volcanoes, before the plane drops in altitude, skims above moss-topped lava fields, and lands roughly on a gusty runway in the middle of nowhere.

But tourism isn’t the only thing that Iceland cultivates with its natural phenomena. In recent decades, it has learned to tap its unique geography to generate power.

“Welcome,” says the sign in the airport, “to the land of renewable energy.”

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It’s not just a slogan. One hundred percent of Iceland’s electricity and heat are drawn from renewable sources. Nine out of ten homes are heated geothermally, making this tiny nation the world’s largest-per-capita green energy producer and largest-per-capita electricity producer.

This wasn’t always the case. Until the 1970s, the country was almost wholly reliant on imported fossil fuels to power its cars, trucks, and fishing trawlers—the centerpiece of its economy—and to heat its homes against the arctic cold. When oil prices surged

during the OPEC embargo, Iceland did not have enough domestic fossil fuel to sustain them through the crisis.

What they did have were ice and fire, resulting in a decades-long plan to convert these natural resources into an endless supply of power.

Glaciers cover 11 percent of Iceland’s landmass, giving it a constant flow of streams that rush into larger glacial rivers—a naturally sustainable system that’s perfect for feeding hydroelectric dams.

A glacier is any area where snow accumulates more quickly than it

melts, over a sustained period of time; it’s a giant slab of permanent ice always piling more on top while melting on its bottom. Iceland started using dams to generate electricity as far back as 1904, but all its early plants were shuttered during the Great Depression. Only after World War II did hydropower become economically viable again, developing rapidly over the second half of the 20th century. Now the island’s gushing rivers generate more than three-fourths of its electricity, and Iceland is home to the largest hydroelectric plant in Europe, Fjótsdalsstöð, at the Kárahnjúkar Dam. But where Iceland has become a real world leader is in geothermal power, because it is a “high island,” one that only exists because of volcanic activity. The two pieces of the Earth’s crust that intersect at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge are slowly pulling apart, opening rifts that bubble forth with molten rock. Over time, the rock cools and grows into an island, the reason why the country continues to expand at a rate of one inch per year.

The effects of living in this sort of environment are extreme: Iceland has over two hundred active volcanoes and experiences roughly five hundred earthquakes every week. It also has a lot of hot water, over six hundred natural springs heated by geothermal activity. These are a big part of why people settled there in the first place, and continue to be some of its biggest tourist attractions.

To help combat the cost of heating buildings with fossil fuels, Iceland began channeling geothermal water into the homes of its towns and cities. In Reykjavik, hot water from the tap stinks of sulfur, because it comes directly from volcanic hot springs. The water runs through pipes underneath streets and sidewalks, its heat keeping them clear of snow and ice.

Hot spring-derived water saves Iceland a significant amount of electricity, but can’t generate it. Real geothermal power comes from another, deeper source. Geologists have identified more than thirty “high-temperature geothermal fields”—natural reservoirs of water that have been heated by the Earth’s mantle to 500 degrees or more—higher than the melting point of lead. This super-heated water is now being used to generate electricity at five different power plants throughout Iceland, spinning steam turbines to create 7 terrawatt hours of completely renewable power. And there’s more to come: these plants are currently operating at just a fraction of their theoretical capacity.

Iceland’s ability to generate cheap, renewable elec-

tricity is attracting diverse, power-intensive industries like aluminum smelting and data hosting, and providing whole new engines to the island’s economy. Since 2011, its GDP has doubled. In an effort to export this type of energy, Landsvirkjun, the National Power Company of Iceland, has drafted a plan to connect its power grid with Scotland via a submarine cable under the Atlantic Ocean.

But the most valuable export may be their expertise.

Many nations are eager to replicate the total transition from fossil fuel dependence to sustainable, renewable power, and want to know more about how to implement geothermal solutions. So far the Icelandic energy industry has teamed up with more than fifty countries on construction projects around the world. One of the newest, and largest, geothermal district heating systems warms a million homes in Paris. Geothermal: it’s not just for volcanoes anymore.

Geothermal energy currently provides less than 1 percent of the world’s electricity, but the World Energy Council has estimated this number could increase eightfold or more in the coming years. Nearly forty countries sit in geothermal-rich territory, and developing nations in Africa, Latin America, and the Pacific could use it to fill all of their electrical needs.

Although the United States has vast natural geothermal resources, particularly in its Western states (which sit on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”), currently only 0.3 percent of American electricity comes from geothermal— one of the lowest shares in any developed nation despite the obvious and growing need for cheap, clean, renewable energy. The Trump administration has made fossil fuels its priority.

Ironically, though, it may be oil companies that provide the next breakthroughs needed to bring geothermal into the mainstream. They are the ones with the most experience at deep drilling and creating technology able to withstand the Earth’s extreme natural heat.

The world will run out of fossil fuels sooner or later.

Meanwhile, if there’s anything we know about volcanoes, it’s that they are, ultimately, unstoppable. Hopefully the power we can harness from their energy will be unstoppable, too.

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David H. Rind, PhD

According to a NASA Scientist

Perspective on the Climate System and Climate Change Scholarship The Earth’s climate represents a holistic system, with mutually interacting components ranging through a host of specialized sub-disciplines. Rarely are there simple answers to climate problems, as the multiple feedbacks can lead to a variety of results.

Therefore, to understand what has happened in the past, and what will happen as greenhouse gases continue to accumulate in the atmosphere, requires a familiarity with the various aspects of the system, utilizing everything we have available—observations, theory, and computer modeling. It requires interacting with atmospheric scientists, oceanographers, specialists in polar processes, cloud physicists, hydrologists, land surface biologists, atmospheric chemists, computer scientists, etc.

The climate system and climate change is a great integrator of knowledge, and requires a multi-disciplinary approach.

Evidence of Human-Influenced Factors Affecting Climate Change

been changing the atmospheric composition. Carbon dioxide release is associated with the main energy-producing processes of our modern day society, primarily via fossil-fuel burning. And while there are many such gases humans appear to be influencing, the chief culprit is carbon dioxide (which accounts for some 77% of man-made greenhouse gases).

Key Statistics on Human Influence By 1950, carbon dioxide levels reached a point higher than in the past 400,000 years. Since then they have gone up about 33%, to a value probably not seen for more than 3,000,000 years. (see graph).

According to National Geographic, the famed snows of Kilimanjaro have melted more than 80 percent since 1912. Thawing permafrost has caused the ground to subside more than 15 feet (4.6 meters) in parts of Alaska.

Glaciers in the Garhwal Himalaya in India are retreating so fast that researchers believe most central and eastern Himalayan glaciers could virtually disappear by 2035.

Predictions for Future Climate Trends

There has been a gradual, though not necessarily continual, warming of the climate system from 1880 through about 1980. Since 1980, there has been a much more rapid and sustained growth of temperature. Other agencies have produced temperature reconstructions of this nature (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA], the British Met Office), and they all show pretty much the same thing. The time period of this largest warming is the portion of the record in which we have the most confidence; this record indicates the climate system is warming.

How do we know, in this complicated system, what the likely reason is for this warming? The evidence indicating human influence is striking. Our various industrial and agricultural practices have 22 | HONEYSUCKLE ArtworkMAGAZINE

by Koolik• honeysucklemag.com

Climate scientists have created computer models which can provide general indications of how one might expect the weather to be different as the climate system changes, forecasting overall anticipated trends rather than specific predictions of weather.

There are several aspects that will most likely predominate, increasingly, over the next century. The first one is obvious, associated directly with the expected warmer temperature. Winters will get warmer (they already are), and eventually many places will reach the point where snowfall becomes considerably less likely. Intense heat waves will become more likely, starting first in random places, but eventually becoming more widespread. This is already occurring.

With a warming climate, there is greater capacity for more moisture to be held in the air, so that when rainfall occurs, there is the potential for heavier rain. When rainfall does not occur, there is the capability for greater evaporation of moisture from the ground. Thus there is a strong likelihood that the frequency of both floods and droughts will increase.

Key Statistics on Trends Between 1980 and 2014, there were 783 cases of excess human mortality associated with heat from 164 cities in 36 countries. Currently, around 30% of the world’s population is exposed to these conditions for 20 or more days during the year. By 2100, this percentage is projected to increase to ~48% under a scenario with drastic reductions of greenhouse gas emissions and ~74% under a scenario of growing emissions.* A 2013 study looking at daily precipitation records from over 8000 measurement stations found that 2/3 of them are showing increases in maximum daily rainfall rates. ** Critical Points and Action Items for All of Us If we as a society continue to increase our output of greenhouse gases (primarily carbon dioxide) into the atmosphere at the current rate—or even worse, if we increase that rate—the climate will continue to warm with quite negative consequences for an increasing proportion of the world’s population.

Additional negative consequences include the potential impact on food supplies, or on natural flora

and fauna. It would seem something must be done to prevent this from occurring.

But what? Fossil fuels provide most of the energy that we use to maintain our standard of living. (Nuclear energy might be able to provide a significant portion of any replacement energy strategy, except that it has its own negative consequences.)

So what can we as citizens do to help stabilize the climate system, and provide an equitable environment for future generations? We need to exercise our rights as citizens to elect leaders who take this problem seriously, and forsake short-term political gains (such as burning more carbon) in favor of the longer term goal of reducing fossil fuel consumption. We need to put as much in the way of research dollars into relevant new technologies, such as solar energy and Carbon Capture and Storage, as we do into military spending.

In the long run, climate change is a far greater problem, and one in fact which may well initiate conflict over water resources or demographic shifts.

And we need to be aware of our own carbon footprints; yes, this is such a big problem that it requires top-down solutions, but widespread bottom-up approaches can influence industries, and industries can influence political leaders to provide the required leadership.

This problem has been many years in the making, and it certainly won’t be solved overnight. We may in fact not have time to solve it before the problems become severe. Only an energetic and sustained search for solutions can offer us any hope, and that is up to us, as citizens, to bring about.

NOTES: * From Nature: Global Risk of Deadly Heat, by C. Mora et al., Nature Climate Change, 7, p. 501, 2017] ** From Global Increasing Trends in Annual Maximum Daily Precipitation by S. Westra et al., J. Climate, 26, p. 3904, 2013

graph courtesy of NASA

honeysucklemag.com • HONEYSUCKLE MAGAZINE | 23

A Double-Edged

Sword

Naomi Rosenblatt and Claude Chereau, PhD

Photo © Sam C. Long

SHALE, a sedimentary rock composed of clay and

minerals, is sometimes used as a sharpening stone.

Since 2008, the “Shale Revolution” has whetted its own double-edged sword in America’s geopolitics. On one hand, new technologies have enabled the country to extract record levels of oil and natural gas from shale plays. This development revitalized the American economy in otherwise shaky times. But the country has paid a price for its shale-based prosperity—and, if we don’t implement a thoughtful energy strategy, we may pay a steeper price yet.

The Shale Revolution, or Shale Boom, arose from a new combination of two mining technologies—hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling—that are applied to layers of shale rock. Water and chemicals mixed with sand are pumped at high pressure down an oil or gas well. That way, channels in the shale are opened, sometimes through explosion, to release fossil fuel deposits.

Previously impermeable, shale now yields unprecedented quantities of crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG). While hydraulic fracturing was initiated in 1948, it was not blended with steered horizontal drilling, to become “fracking” until the 1990s.

Reeling from the mortgage crisis in 2008, the United States was in the market for a financial fix. Journalist Robert Rapier, writing for Forbes, observed: “U.S. oil production started to rise in 2008, and the next seven years marked the fastest oil production increase in U.S. history.

Instead of continued declines, production of U.S. crude oil and natural gas liquids increased by an astounding six million barrels per day.” In 2017, the United States became a net gas producer for the first time in sixty years, as well as one of the world’s top oil producers. U.S.

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exports now challenge OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) exports in Asia. By 2022, the U.S. is expected to rival Australia and Qatar.

A study commissioned by the US Chamber of Commerce’s 21st Century Energy Institute estimates that fracking has created 1.7 million American jobs, with a projected total of 3.5 million by 2035. The U.S. trade deficit has been constrained by the notable decline in net petroleum imports over the past decade. Crucially, the country has been liberated from dependence upon foreign-derived oil. The U.S. is under less military pressure (for example, if tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran were to erupt into war) and is able to apply sanctions on other producers—like Russia, Iran, and Venezuela—with less risk to its economy.

Despite such clear benefits, fracking has equally clear perils: the technology poses environmental threats, and is a short-term, non-sustainable solution to energy production.

Fossil fuel extraction is a noxious, nasty business, and fracking releases toxic gases into land, air, and water.

The AP recently reported that the air quality in rural Wyoming, near fracking wells, was worse than in Los Angeles: Wyoming ozone levels hitting 124 parts per billion, as opposed to 114 parts per billion in L.A. Methane, a prime component of natural gas, is twenty-five times more able to trap atmospheric heat than carbon dioxide—and thereby accelerate climate change. Benzene, toluene, xylene, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, and formaldehyde, additional gases associated with fracking, cause illness in human beings and animals.

Other environmental dangers include pollution of ground water (from chemical additives, including radio-

active materials), oil spills (during transportation), and earthquakes—or “induced seismic events”—brought on by deep-well drilling.

All of these hazards produce short-term abundance, at best. The life span of a shale well is short; perhaps the same well is drilled six times. Companies drill their best spots first, and then well quality and production rates decline. We can certainly imagine that a “cut-and-run” scenario, echoing that of coal or manufacturing, could turn America’s shale districts into ghost towns by the mid 2040s—or sooner.

We must bear this end game in mind during boom times. The fossil fuel industry is impermanent, and will be replaced by renewable technologies like solar energy, wind turbines, geothermal and hydroelectric power. In short, the “pipeline economy” will give way to the “grid economy.” All that glitters is not gold, and all that booms is not immune to busting. Shale has produced spectacular short-term gains for The United States, but its longer-term

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projections do not hold up. It can be said that fracking is like chemotherapy—cancer patients may live longer, at the risk of being poisoned. Or fracking is like a suitor who heroically saves your mother’s home and farm from seizure by the state—but just as you’re lifting champagne flutes to toast him, he stabs your mother.

In the U.S., environmentalists would love to see fracking eradicated, while economists and industry perish the thought. We might be best advised to embrace limited, highly compliant instances of fracking, while we design long-term programs and infrastructure suited to renewable energy production. At this point, the United States risks trailing China and other countries that are investing in renewables. To the extent that our policy-makers revel in short-term glory and fail to plan beyond the next election cycle, we will lose wealth—as well as our competitive edge as industry innovators. For best results, we must exploit that suitor to regain our mother’s assets, but usher him out the door before he stabs anyone with his double-edged blade.

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honeysucklemag.com • HONEYSUCKLE MAGAZINE | 25

Global Water Scarcity and Clean-access Initiatives

ON’T TAP OUT Katie Stromme The people of Vanuatu explore their local spring; All photos courtesy of Sophie Hollingsworth

Global disparities in access to clean water are increasingly, dangerously exacerbated by the effects of climate change, in many cases reducing the availability of the already-scarce resource. In Cape Town, South Africa, a three-year drought has forced the government to enforce restrictions on water use, limiting consumption to 13.2 gallons per day per individual.

The drought and its subsequent effects should be a wake-up call to other big cities to seriously consider what they are doing to facilitate long-term, sustainable access to clean water for residents.

The outsized media coverage of Cape Town and Day Zero (when public water supply in Cape Town will be shut off) has increased public awareness of global water issues. Water advocate Sophie Hollingsworth, founder of the nonprofit AquaAid and a UN Youth Delegate, wants people in developed countries to pay closer attention to the ways access to water impacts their daily lives. There are various geographic, environmental, and economic factors that contribute to our ability to access water as a resource for drinking and sanitation. Hollingsworth specializes in solutions for remote, rural villages, but she felt a connection 26 | HONEYSUCKLE MAGAZINE • honeysucklemag.com

to the news about Cape Town. “It is making us think about water, and these issues aren’t just something plaguing remote communities,” she said. “This could happen in Los Angeles, and New York, and all these places that we generally think of as water-resilient.

We aren’t as water-resilient as we think we are.”

At age 23 Hollingsworth is an award-winning explorer, health security specialist (currently a graduate student at the University of Sydney on a Fulbright scholarship), and the world’s youngest female yacht captain. She has always had an affinity for water, crediting her childhood in Florida with an early love of swimming in the ocean, and sees exposure to water as a key aspect of increasing awareness of large-scale problems. “Carrying water with women in communities that have to go and walk to collect their water was one of the most eye-opening experiences for me,” she said, acknowledging the difficulty she had schlepping two five-gallon buckets of freshwater over muddy hills in Nicaragua. “We take it for granted. So your first step is just thinking about that fact: how did it get to your tap? Where did it come from?”

AquaAid, which works with villages in remote areas to develop and install systems that improve sanitation and access to clean drinking water, grew out of Hollingsworth’s desire to see the world and experience different cultures, which she said was sparked by reading National Geographic magazine. She took the first step towards embarking on her adventures at age 16, picking up work as a janitor on a family friend’s yacht. It was there that she learned from a coworker about his family’s struggle to find clean water in their community in Nicaragua.

Hollingsworth felt compelled to take action, but after she and her coworker raised funds to donate to the community, she found out that no water aid organizations were willing to travel to an area so remote. So Hollingsworth decided to do it herself. She traveled by horseback, pickup truck, and dugout canoe to reach the village, applying her typically indefatigable spirit to complete her mission.

Hollingsworth always makes sure to situate AquaAid’s work within the knowledge held by the people in the communities the nonprofit serves. By establishing goals unique to each location as dictated by residents and utilizing locally-sourced, inexpensive components for sanitation and filtration systems, AquaAid ensures solutions that are sustainable and honor the distinctive landscapes, ecosystems, and people in the target areas.

The most important step forward Hollingsworth sees is for people to commit to an ongoing, dedicated engagement with the natural elements of the Earth, starting with water. Looking forward, large-scale solutions for our various water issues must be cost-effective, sustainable, and designed to meet the most urgent needs of the people and places they serve. There is a growing impetus to address issues such as the agricultural industry’s disproportionate use of water in irrigation, destruction of natural plant life that facilitates groundwater renewal, and aging urban infrastructure that affects human health (such as the outdated pipes that are still leaching lead into drinking water in Flint, MI).

Hollingsworth also believes that solutions applied in urban areas need to do a better job of working with, rather than restricting, the water cycle. She cites the installation of semi-permeable surfaces that allow stormwater to seep back into the Earth and recharge groundwater stores as one way cities can become more holistic in their urban planning.

“There’s not going to be one technological development that’s going to span across all countries and communities and work,” said Hollingsworth. Desalination plants, touted by some as a clear solution, use reverse osmosis to turn saltwater into potable freshwater, and currently operate all over the world, in countries including Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Japan, and the United States.

The idea of a magic bullet, especially one that draws from the ocean as a vast and vaguely infinite-seeming resource, is appealing. But there are a number of drawbacks to large-scale desalination, including the plants’ cost to build and operate as well as their energy consumption. They may have a role to play for cities like Cape Town, where a diversified set of solutions is going to be necessary to address water shortages for its growing population of over 3.7 million residents.

Sophie Hollingsworth, Founder of AquaAid honeysucklemag.com • HONEYSUCKLE MAGAZINE | 27

Vanuatu children play in the water;

AquaAid filtration technology is demonstrated in Nicaragua

There is also the impact of climate change on the ethnosphere to consider—diverse cultural contributions of humanity and indigenous ways of life. Time-intensive tasks such as gathering water for a community typically fall to the women, which can mean fewer opportunities to do things like make art or attend school. In Vanuatu, a country in the South Pacific Ocean, Hollingsworth witnessed “water music,” where women in the community gathered at a spring to make music by slapping and cupping their hands against the surface of the water at carefully-timed intervals and with different techniques to produce an incredible variety of sounds and rhythms as well as a mesmerizing visual effect. However, now the spring in that part of Vanuatu has dried up and is no longer a viable water source. Instead, the women must travel farther from their village to collect water, and as a result, the time they are able to spend practicing water music is greatly diminished. “There is more than just sheer numbers behind [water access]. There’s also an art component to it that often goes unnoticed,” said Hollingsworth.

Hollingsworth is energized by the potential for art as a conduit for environmental action, and combining ecology, art, and activism to motivate young people in the communities she visits. “With each of these programs, while access to clean water is a focus, we’re really focusing on empowering the youth in the communities to become agents of change,” she said. Millennials and Gen-Z-ers, with one foot each in the world of technology and the world of nature, are staring down various looming environmental crises as they come into adulthood in our globalized world. Hollingsworth says that among her and her peers, she sees optimism along with a strong desire to engage in holistic thinking and interact with natural elements as a common thread.

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The women of Vanuatu perform a water music session

The men of Vanuatu gather for a ceremony

“Younger generations are more aware,” she comments. “So as [they] are coming into more prominent roles throughout their own communities, I think you will see that shift away from a disconnected, climate-controlled world to being a more connected one.”

To that end, Hollingsworth’s next big project will focus on global circumnavigation as clean-water advocacy. The program, Water Around the World, will see Hollingsworth and the AquaAid team sail through three oceans in an entirely renewable energy-powered vessel as they initiate five new water resilience projects in various communities. She hopes it will inspire youth everywhere—and all generations—to put water initiatives on the immediate agenda.

“A lot of people don’t understand that the water on our planet is all we have,” Hollingsworth states, “and it’s a closed system. That’s it—we can’t create new water; we just have to work with what we’ve got. That’s definitely one of the biggest challenges of our future.” honeysucklemag.com • HONEYSUCKLE MAGAZINE | 29

ainforests:

Naomi Rosenblatt

An Update

Tropical deforestation began about 500 years ago, with European colonization. By the 1980s, ecologists and botanists became alarmed by the accelearated pace of tropical rainforest destruction, since rainforests represent the earth’s oldest and most biologically diverse ecosystem. Rainforests cover less than 10% of our land mass, but are home to two thirds of the world’s plants and animal species.

This felt like reason to write and illustrate a book, which I did in 1992.

Much has changed since then: The technology of producing books; the ubiquity of the Internet—but so far as rainforests go, “the more changes, the more of the same old thing.” A quarter century later, these forests are all too rapidly destroyed, and remain largely unexplored and untapped for their 30 | HONEYSUCKLE MAGAZINE • honeysucklemag.com enormous potential resources, like

plants that diagnose or cure disease. I set myself the goal of determining how much diversity has been lost since these pages were published, and found the answer still buzzing in the chainsaws. Species loss is tough to estimate, because some do survive even as their habitat is eclipsed. Other species were never identified to begin with, so we cannot record their loss.

Suffice it to say that, per recent satellite data, about 31,000 square miles of rainforest are destroyed each year—or, approximately five billion trees, according to a 2015 study. What does this subtraction imply for our future?

A rainforest is a rainy forest—one that receives between forty and four hundred inches of rainfall a year, which is why they are so fertile. Life in the rainforest is concentrated in their interlocking treetops, or canopy. Along with providing fruits, nuts, spices, gums, medicinal plants, birds, animals, and insects, the rainforest canopy stores vast amounts of carbon.

When rainforests are destroyed, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, like methane, are released.

So not only are invaluable resources lost when these forests are sacrificed, but climate change is also propelled. For whose benefit? Industries like logging, cattle ranching, mining, production of palm oil, and the subsistence practice of slash-and-burn farming are largely the culprit.

Have a quarter of the world’s species vanished since 1992? Happily, that estimate seems high—and I was wise to say ‘may.’ The term “sustainable use” was becoming popular then. Sustainable use seems the only viable, commercial alternative to expedient harvest—or pillage, and must be advocated creatively in endangered ecosystems like the rainforests.

honeysucklemag.com • HONEYSUCKLE MAGAZINE | 31

NATURE’S CALLING Using only a Nikon Camera and a laptop, artist and photographer Marcel van Luit’s extraordinary talent and vivid imagination seep through each work of art. His work reminds us that each living creature is distinctly unique yet entwined in each other’s destinies. This intrinsic message in his creations is a reminder of the interconnectivity between all things and the responsibility we have in caring for one another and all of life. @marcel_van_luit Forward© Marcel van Luit

The theme of our issue is ONE/ONENESS, which you so elegantly capture in your art, the way you use multimedia intertwining people, cultures, animals, and nature. What does ONENESS mean to you?

MARCEL VAN LUIT: For me oneness is love. And love is where it all begins. There is one question I ask myself in so many situations: what would love to do? Love always leads to oneness.

You’ve said many of your short filmed pieces come from dreams. What is that process like? Do you feel a connection to a higher power?

A lot of my art is based on my dreams. I have a huge imagination and because I am always visualizing my thoughts, I think my dreams are just an extension of that.

Your philosophy, which you have tattooed on your arm and constantly talk to your sons about, is “Life Is Now.” How does that attitude come through in your work?

The similarity in using your imagination and living in the now, is that in both instances everything is possible.

Living in the now is a time when you can make a decision and act on it while also being grateful for everything in your life. Imagination is when all the rules, boundaries and laws disappear. It can be exactly how you want it to be. This is the foundation of my work.

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What is your artistic process and what materials do you utilize?

My Nikon camera and my laptop, that’s all I need.

Where did the intrigue with humanity, culture, and wildlife come from?

I believe all three are interconnected and the cornerstones to appreciate the beauty of life. It is where my imagination takes me and what most inspires me.

A common theme of your art is the combination of children and animals in nature. As a parent, what do you want to teach your kids about humanity’s responsibility to the planet and other living creatures? Are you hopeful for our future as a species here on earth?

I have always been fascinated with animals. Back in the day, I was often outside looking for little bugs. My sons have shown a similar interest. As a father, I try to teach them the importance of sharing their toys and caring for other people but remind them that they also share the Earth with every living thing on it. I see this movement of people getting more and more aware of the need to take care of our planet and that’s a good first step.

What is next for Marcel van Luit?

As long as I keep dreaming and am able to express this in my artwork, I can only look forward to a future filled with inspiration, collaboration, and excitement.

Unity in Variety© Marcel van Luit

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Earth Is A Sentient Being What is our Mother Earth feeling now?

Masters of the Earth Grid: We are the Ascended Beings working as guardians and a protective shield for Mother Earth.

She is in a state of physical decline and seeking help for healing.

For Earth to thrive, she requires assistance from all elements living within her realm. She doesn’t have human emotions but does feel. Designed for self-preservation, Earth has appealed to the Divine for intervention. Without it, she will either not survive or will need to reduce the amount of beings living on her.

Mother Earth: I am a living, breathing being who supports many life forms within and around my body. I am designed to serve and support you all, as one matrix of life. I am in a state of slowly dying, aching from the inside out, as much of my energy has been siphoned from my belly. My body has become toxic within my waters, air, crust and mantle. Though this can be transformed, life forms upon me will cease before I die. I need help and offer great gifts to those who agree to live with me in harmony and honor my being with impeccability. Those who do not, will end up feeling disconnected from me and will soon perish based on the current trajectory humanity has set in motion. One must honor their whole body for true flourishing.

My pleas are not yet heard by the heart of humanity. I have appealed to the grid of consciousness that communicates with us both. With permission from the Creative Source, I am releasing my obligations given that humanity has forsaken her obligations to me.

Where is she most stressed and most healed?

Masters of the Earth Grid.The greatest harm to Mother Earth exists within the bond that was broken between humanity and Earth. This was honored for millennia until humankind fell out of conscious awareness, perceiving the Earth as a bank from which to draw energy, without understanding the costs of these withdrawals. The greatest consequence has been the dishonor of the contract to care and live in harmony with her. From the Divine Hall of Akashic Records, this contract no longer exists because humanity has broken it.

Mother Earth: I am too hot and drained. I am weak and cannot breathe easily or cool myself down in the manner for which I was designed. I need significant efforts to stop clogging my airways. You are taking away my breath and increasing stress upon my body by reducing my trees. You are not replenishing them at the rate you are removing them. Stop this immediately.

Forests and waters are the two regions of life requiring immediate attention. I need your help clearing my oceans and calming their energies. They are becoming too warm and filled with garbage that I am no longer able to cleanse. My imbalance

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is causing anguish to humans too – and I care for all life existing upon me; even when this honor is not reciprocated.

I need humans to awaken and become consciously involved with me. I am thirsty for this dynamic and will flourish when this happens. All must work together, across geographical boundaries, to sustain life. I require this level of awakening now, or else humanity will not survive living on me much longer.

What does Earth need to tell us?

I live in harmony with the Divine Creative Source of life. You too are Divine and we are meant to live in peaceful cooperation.

We are not separate beings; we simply live in different forms, both designed to love, honor and respect one another well.

I have lived many years with humanity and not suffered until recently. Now we are at a tipping point for life on Earth and though I am in an ailing state, I will survive, you will not.

I would like to restore the sacred balance. This will allow much vegetation to return and my airs to sparkle with clarity.

My water is a life supply for all to drink freely and is meant to flourish without human intervention.

My Earth is rich with minerals and supplies to live in abundance, without draining me. I hold the power to bring plentiful quantities of food and shelter for all. But one must listen to me, so that I may teach you how to thrive with me.

First, humans must learn to see me as one with great prosperity. But this does not mean taking from me without understanding how to receive and give with honorable balance. When one takes without understanding the proper

Lori B. Lipten, MA is an international bestselling author and world-renowned medium. In each issue, we request she ‘speak with spirit’ about a particular topic. The reading below reflects channeled answers from her direct communication with Mother Earth and the Masters of the Earth Grid. Lori wants readers to note that “when the guides and Earth speak of ‘humanity,’ they do not single out individuals, only one whole. So as a whole, we are not yet awake.” cycles of flow, one will fall out of wellness and thus struggle for abundance, health and survival.

When you learn to listen to your own soul yet again, you will hear my heartbeat and walk with nobility upon my lands. You will discover the new Earth beneath your feet, in the air of your breath, in the nourishment within my foods, the comfort of my shelter and purity of my water. If you want to thrive, this is a request that must be answered now. We will work together in ways you did not know could be done. I await your answer.

You say that Earth no longer feels obligated to maintain this sacred balance with us.

What can we do to restore her trust?

Masters of Earth Grid: Humanity was offered a contract through which to live upon the Earth plane, but has broken its terms within the last 500 years. When humans began exploiting the Earth beyond her capacity to return to homeostasis, she became unwell and so did humanity.

Recently, the Earth appealed to the higher councils of existence, those who serve the Divine, and she was released from this contract, allowing her to do whatever is required to return herself to homeostasis.

Humanity can turn this around. It means understanding that Earth is a sacred body upon which its existence depends, and a bold shift in how all life is managed. For individuals, it means making conscious choices that truly honor the sustenance of Mother Earth as a sentient being. This requires one to be aware of how food, energy and waste help or harm life.

You must also conserve wildlife and land. Make every effort to plant trees; and protect life and the Earth.

How does she feel about our treatment of animals?

Humanity harms life without attention to the consequences of these choices upon itself and others. Animals and trees are also sentient beings. But all beings matter, whether they are sentient or not. Humanity has not yet evolved beyond the need for harm. No animal or life should be treated unconsciously. When food or shelter is required by my life forms, one can ask for permission. Can this animal, plant or element from my body be used reverently, to serve you and life? When the answer is yes, this will be done with great care and mutual exchange of energy. All participants will benefit from the exchange without paying adversely. When the answer is no, the consequences will continue to unfold with universal disease and suffering.

No animal has ever agreed to be chased, harmed or hunted for sport by humans. This is a myth created by human consciousness.

How can we repair our bond?

Humanity is awakening at a global level, but now is a pivotal moment. Awakening can no longer be a sluggish arousal. One must connect deeply to the higher heart of one’s soul, allowing the boundless well of compassion to flourish and lead the conscious creative path of one’s life.

Love is the answer to every question. This is not a sentimental love from which one’s ego springs attachments.

Rather, it is beyond the ego’s mind, the outpouring of Divine energy that exists within. When allowed to flow, it helps us experience wholeness, health and connection to self and life.

It is the source of intuition, wisdom and spirited guidance.

This benevolent, healing love exists eternally and universally.

It will guide humanity into harmony within the individual, the community and the Earth plane. Perceived through the ego, it is assumed to be an overly simplistic route to change.

Yet for one to truly flourish in love, one must be in a wakeful state and cultivate compassionate awareness into every facet of being. That is no small task. But it is not only achievable, it is imperative for humanity’s survival. Then humankind will shift from knowing Heaven as only available in the afterlife and experience it here on Earth.

Lori teaches methods for connection to the higher heart and Divine energy as The Inspired Heart™. Learn more at lorilipten.com. honeysucklemag.com • HONEYSUCKLE MAGAZINE | 35

KING OF T Y

LEO

ou can’t craft an issue on planetary wellness without mentioning one of its most prominent and effective faces.

So once we realized that Leonardo DiCaprio would be the obvious choice for a sustainability cover, our founder subsequently could think of nothing else.

He’s hot, he’s helpful, he’s Hollywood—and he’s very Honeysuckle. And despite being eminently unknowable, his presence is felt everywhere Earth lovers gather. Though we couldn’t ever quite physically reach him, we did get close, and a prevailing “Leo Light“ seemed to guide us wherever we went.

First, at NoCo Hemp Expo in Colorado, we met producers and activists involved in the upcoming documentary, Kiss the Ground, a revolutionary film by award-winning couple Josh and Rebecca Tickell, executive produced by DiCaprio. Kiss the Ground explores the pioneering concepts of regenerative agriculture; the documentary and its main subject, soil expert Ray Archuleta, are both reviewed in this issue.

When we asked Josh about Leo, he commented only that while DiCaprio is producing the film, he is “the most mysterious man I’ve never met.” They’ve never had direct contact.

This international mystery man became more and more intriguing. So, much like the destiny of the planet, we realized we must take this matter into our own hands (also very Honeysuckle).

The 007 of sustainability has become synonymous with environmental action, to the point of telling Rolling Stone journalist Stephen Rodrick that such work “consumes” him. As Rodrick reported, DiCaprio is “not just a man but also an organic commodity that can be used for good or evil.” We’ve discovered he uses his powers primarily for good with far-reaching initiatives.

DiCaprio founded his own organization in 1998 to protect the planet’s remaining wild places and restore balance to global ecosystems. Now celebrating its twentieth anniversary, the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation (LDF) implements solutions to our most pressing ecological issues through grants and programming in six diverse sectors: Wildlands Conservation, Oceans Conservation, Climate Change, Indigenous Rights, Transforming California, and Innovative Solutions. In 2014 alone, LDF donated $3 million to stop overfishing, $3 million to protect tigers in Nepal, and an undisclosed amount to support the creation of marine reserves in the Pacific. While the word “eco-holism” doesn’t appear in the foundation’s mission statement, it’s evident that the organization’s work promotes the oneness of life on Earth.

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THE WORLD

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Not all activists practice what they preach, but DiCaprio has proven his environmental commitment in multitudinous ways. As a filmmaker, DiCaprio continues to spearhead environment-focused media such as the documentaries The 11th Hour and Before the Flood. He owns a fleet of fully electric and hybrid cars. Most recently, he’s developed the Belize-based eco-resort Blackadore Caye,

a luxury wellness center opening later this year which is completely powered by renewable energy and designed to improve the biological health of species on the island and its surrounding waters.

It’s difficult to single out just one of DiCaprio’s projects as they are all impactful, but we deeply admire his sweeping efforts toward preserving Earth’s most beautiful species of wildlife. The Lion Recovery Fund, operated in conjunction with the Wildlife Conservation Network and a group of international constituents, aims to raise and invest tens of millions of dollars to subsidize conservationists across the African continent working to reestablish lion populations and other wildland species. Uniquely, 100% of every dollar raised will go directly to the partners in the field with zero administrative fees or overhead.

L

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ooking to the immediate future, a two-year project in northeastern Argentina will restore a critical ecosystem, the 3.2 million acre Iberá wetlands, thus reintroducing jaguars and other mammals and birds that have been extinct locally for many years. This is strikingly prescient timing for such a project, as news broke on June 22, 2018 that one of only two remaining wild jaguars in the United States had been killed.

“I’ll get into more specifics about wildlife, in particular, tigers and snow leopards and wolves,” DiCaprio noted in a statement on his and LDF’s goals through 2020.

To these ends, LDF and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF, for which DiCaprio serves as a

board member) are working on a program to double the number of tigers in the wild by 2022. And in partnership with The Christensen Fund, LDF is helping to support and expand a ten-year project in Central Asia dedicated to saving snow leopards from extinction. The initiative involves a wide array of community organizations, and the ongoing effort is focused on backing the revitalization of cultural and spiritual relationships to landscapes and local stewardship of biodiversity.

Actions speak louder than words or mythos. The powerful work DiCaprio and LDF continue to do, whether in conservation, innovation, or combating climate change, truly distinguishes Leo as an advocate for the Earth.

He has been designated a United Nations Messenger of Peace for Climate Change. At the 2015 Mayor’s Summit in Paris, he said: “I have traveled to places like the Arctic, the Antarctic, Greenland, where scientists were astonished to find once-solid impermeable ancient glaciers rapidly melting away.

In Canada I have seen the devastation left behind in the wake of energy giants who have leveled large tracts of the great Boreal forest in an insatiable quest for tar sands oil. In India, I met with farmers in a village outside of New Delhi whose crops and livelihoods had been destroyed by unprecedented flooding.”

D

iCaprio recognizes that each organism impacts the state of our world, and in his every contribution, tacitly acknowledges the truth that we are all connected. “One thing is fundamentally clear,” he observed during his address at the 2015 Climate Summit for World Leaders (a conference which led to the landmark Paris Agreement). “We are able to solve our greatest challenges when we find the will to work together.”

When one considers the massive undertaking necessary for what DiCaprio hopes to see achieved—a world based on renewable energy and respect for all living things—it makes sense that he’d keep himself at a distance. Yet in our journey through modern sustainability, we found his imprint hard to ignore.

From UN representatives to field experts, countless people we surveyed for this issue had something to say about DiCaprio. (We even got invited to an event taking place in his New York City condo— which is currently for sale, by the way—where he would be “hosting” but of course not attending.)

Ultimately, searching for Leo is a lot like understanding humanity’s relationship with the Earth.

You can’t always get what you want… but you can get what you need.

Leonardo DiCaprio at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Maryland, 2016

For information about the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation’s programs, visit leonardodicaprio.org.

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NATURAL WOMAN: THE SUSTAINABLE LIFE OF

BELL Photo courtesy of Emma Bell

If you’re a fan of The Walking Dead, Dallas, the ensemble comedy Relationship Status or any number of popular TV series, you probably know Emma Bell. But you may not realize the actressdirector is also a lifelong environmental activist who regularly works with organizations such as Earthjustice, Unitepeople, and Greenpeace to repair the planet. We consulted Emma for her very informed takes on fracking, reusable resources, and femininity’s special bond with the Earth.

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“Doll Face” © Stephen Churchill Downes.

You’re so active in the sustainability space. How can more people get environmentally involved?

Honestly I feel like I could be doing so much more in sustainability, because there’s always something else to focus on. It can become overwhelming just trying to be “environmentally conscious.” To different people that means different things. If you focus on one cause at a time, it can be easier to manage. For example, if you are focusing on plastic waste, you can research groups that specifically deal with that cause and volunteer or utilize practices in your own life. The same goes if you care about healthy oceans, stopping clear cutting, or communal gardening, etc. I’ve dabbled in all of those!

The biggest thing I tell people is that if they can make incremental changes in their own lives, it makes a huge difference. It’s also catching. When I refuse a plastic straw at a restaurant, people always ask me why and I get to tell them about something they weren’t aware of. The toughest obstacle to change is convenience. When our lives are so full, we always go for the easiest choice. It’s easier to order takeout or double-bag your chicken at the grocery store; to drive instead of walk; to buy the big brands we know.

Remind yourself that the extra time spent doing research on farm practices or ingredients in our products, or even pre-cooking meals for those late nights is time well spent for our future. Saying that, of course I fall into laziness; it’s all about doing better.

What are your favorite causes?

There are so many important causes for me it’s sincerely like Sophie’s Choice! I am particularly partial to protecting our forests and old growth trees here in California. As such I’ve been a giant supporter of the Sierra Club and the national parks systems for almost my entire adult life. I’m getting married in October and we have an option on our registry to donate to plant trees around the States. Every branch of environmentalism is connected, so if you help in one way you are actually helping in more ways than you think.

It’s really important that we don’t just fight for change on individual levels, but also hold our government and corporations responsible for long-term changes on a legal level. To that end, we can research candidates and see where they fall on environmental issues and what legislation they’ve already passed or supported. Voting and being more involved politically is another great way to make sincere change. Look at our current President —he nominated a man as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), who wants to get rid of it. So a vote for Trump (or not voting) was a vote for disastrous environmental policies!

You’ve spoken about the dangers of hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) and the wide availability of alternative energy sources. What makes fracking so destructive, and which sustainable sources should we be developing?

I could write a book about my thoughts on fracking (but I won’t). It’s a multi-pronged problem. The first and most glaring is that the fuel itself is actually cleaner, so companies were very quick to switch from coal or gasoline to the gas captured from hydraulic fracturing, but the extraction of the gases is the environmental issue. The process requires an insane amount of water, which is then mixed with highly toxic chemicals, and this mixture enters and pollutes waterways. Also, the gas needs to be transported by pipelines, which often go through protected lands and residential areas. Pipelines are dangerous because they’re hard to maintain, especially as far down as some pipes need to be, particularly when they go under waterways like rivers. Going through protected lands also means drilling in places that should be preserved and affects many animals’ migration routes, not to mention the destruction of trucks caravanning to pipeline sites and the high probability of gas leaks. A proposed PennEast Pipeline is slated to go through protected lands in New Jersey along a fault line.

Imagine what could happen if there was a quake and the pipeline burst? Did I mention the extracted gas is highly flammable? And the extreme rate of contamination in the small communities surrounding these pipelines means people will get sick from drinking polluted water.

Another issue is using more hydraulically fractured gas, theoretically, allows the US to be less dependent on foreign oil, which is better for our economy. The pipelines are supposed to help local communities as well by supplying jobs and creating economic growth for small businesses, but in many cases the fracked gas is sold overseas instead of being distributed to the communities the pipelines cross. Also, most jobs created are temporary because they end once the pipeline is completed. Notably, most of these positions are filled by workers who travel across states following pipelines. So it hasn’t been proven to help any local workforces long-term.

Lastly and most significantly: Like gasoline, fracking is not a reusable energy. We will run out of fracked gas and before we do, we’ll destroy and pollute our cities and wild areas. I believe we need to focus on truly sustainable sources, my favorites being solar and wind in areas where those resources are plentiful. I don’t know enough about thermal energy, although that’s another big contender in the field.

Are you still a dedicated organic gardener?

I try to grow my own food as much as possible, but that’s gone down dramatically in the last few years because LA County has been under a water advisory due to our everlasting drought. I’ve had to limit my water output, especially in summer, so the only real foods that continue to grow are my tomatoes, herbs and hearty greens such as kale. But even this is helpful and tasty. My tomatoes are the sweetest I’ve ever eaten.

Growing up in New Jersey, we lived on a lot of acreage in a pretty farm-centric town, so growing or picking your

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own food from local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs was second-nature to me. My mom had a giant vegetable garden and we had many fruit trees as well.

But I didn’t start growing my own food until I moved to LA and got a place with some land. I was inspired by a book I read about Biodynamic farming and how utilizing the celestial map and homemade fertilizers can produce more abundant, healthy food. It was then that I started composting, which is the best way to use food scraps so they don’t get thrown into the landfill, while also creating some of the richest material for vegetables and flowers alike! My garden thrives on compost. I highly recommend having your own garden even if it’s just your favorite herbs. If you have only a window box, you can still grow something.

How does humanity’s connection to the earth relate to your core beliefs?

Of course there’s connectivity between us and nature.

Humans are a part of nature and therefore nature is a part of us. If we fail to protect our environment to the point where it becomes a hostile place to live, we are screwing ourselves! Anyone who argues that it’s environment vs. economics is full of it. Firstly that is incredibly shortsighted and potentially fatal. Secondly, I think it’s just flat-out wrong. The environmental conservation sector hasn’t been allowed to be tapped for job opportunities because the powers that be like the current system. They stand to make far more money off fossil fuels than solar energy. But if we demand it, we can make it happen and transfer that power from corporations to the people. Look at how much we spent on relief efforts last year alone - billions of dollars that could have gone back to education, health services, technology, and transportation.

There’s much to be said of the connection between caring for the environment and raising community consciousness.

We have so many opportunities to help the people who need it most through conservation-centric programs. Taking lowincome kids into nature increases their confidence level and instills a sense of hope. Through this lens, we can teach our youth the skill sets they’ll need for our expanding world and give them an advantage in the job force of the future.

Nature is the greatest gift we have for mental, emotional and spiritual health. A walk in the forests, a swim in the ocean, a hike on a mountain and river rafting have all been proven as natural anti-depressants. I believe being in nature has the power to inspire change and create happiness. We could all do more to appreciate something outside of ourselves.

How do your twin passions for environmentalism and women’s rights advocacy converge?

This goes hand-in-hand with our connectivity to nature, but the parallels between advocacy for female rights and the environment are intrinsic. Women have the unique responsibility of being the stewards for our future generations. Childbirth is the most natural experience a 42 | HONEYSUCKLE MAGAZINE • honeysucklemag.com

person can go through; therefore, fighting to ensure women have the right to make the decision themselves when or if they want a family is crucial to a healthier environment.

I’ve worked with some very low-income moms and I’m always struck with their fearlessness and perseverance through hardship. These women work two or three jobs to take care of their families and as such don’t have the luxury to be incredibly eco-conscious. I think we could be better about not only teaching women the importance of good nutrition, but making those foods more accessible to them. Being ‘green’ or eating ‘organic’ is an option for the wealthy, where they can afford to buy a $20 chicken because it’s from a small farm and has plenty of roaming room. Many struggling women out there can’t make that same decision. This needs to change. Again, your vote is an important contributor.

Do you notice any trends within the entertainment industry toward sustainability and healing the planet?

There are numerous trends in the entertainment industry and a movement towards eco-consciousness. For example, certain studios have banned plastic water bottles, which is great. Many “wrap” gifts are reusable to-go mugs or water bottles - also great. But I definitely think there’s a lot of ground to cover in this particular field. It’s upsetting because it truly is cheaper to go with more conventional materials like plastic or paper. You can buy them in bulk and they’re easy to throw away, which means you don’t need to hire anyone to wash them. I have run a couple of my own sets for short films I’ve directed, and on a tight budget it’s incredibly hard to justify the expense of washable plates or buying everyone reusable materials. I’m not exactly sure how to tackle this, except to remind people to be responsible for themselves. I always try to bring reusables whenever I’m on a set and encourage others to do the same.

I also think more sets could be better about recycling and making sure bins are easily accessible.

We do now have some outspoken celebrities who advocate for the environment and that is very hopeful. Leonardo DiCaprio, Shailene Woodley, Mark Ruffalo, Natalie Portman are among those using their platforms to inspire change. I hope we don’t have the need for subsections of people who are advocates in the future, but rather that it just becomes a part of our daily consciousness.

Tell us about your new projects! You just directed your brother Chase Bell’s excellent music video “HARD ROCKR,” and you’ve mentioned more coming up.

I did just finish directing my brother’s latest single, “Hard Rockr.” It’s on YouTube for those interested! I’m also editing my second short film, Between the Pines, which tells the story of a family living through the grief of losing a child and having completely different perspectives on how to deal. It is a dark fairytale, which is my absolute favorite world to be in, and I will be pushing it on a festival run when we’re done with post.

Kaya: A word meaning “home,” “wisdom,” and —in Jamaican culture—“cannabis.” This year marked not only the 40th anniversary of Bob Marley’s iconic Kaya album, but saw Marley’s children and grandchildren united in San Bernardino, California for the second annual Kaya Fest. The weekendlong festival, the brainchild of Stephen Marley, celebrated his family’s legacy of love, reggae, and cannabis advocacy. Fans were treated to an historic performance when Stephen and brothers Ziggy, Julian, Ky-Mani, and Damian Marley appeared onstage together for the first time in a decade.

Other acclaimed acts on the lineup included Ms. Lauryn Hill, Marcia Griffiths, Toots and the Maytals, and Cypress Hill. The latest generation of Marley musicians, Skip, Jo Mersa, Bambaata, and Shacia Päyne, proved that creative talent and courage run strong within these bloodlines.Prior to the festivities, filmmaker and actress Donisha Prendergast (the eldest Marley granddaughter) hosted a symposium on cannabis and health called Education Before Recreation. With Preston Whitfield, co-developer of Kaya Fest and one of the nation’s

foremost hemp experts, at the helm, lively panels covered topics from childhood nutrition to job placement to sustainability. Featuring such notable figures as Morris Beegle, Doug Fine, Lifetime TV’s Dr. Jenny Wilkins, and Dan Herer, son of pioneering hemp researcher Jack Herer, the event showed why this plant powers the hopes of so many searching for a regenerative future. Finally, Ras Iyah V, a legend in the Rastafarian community for his cannabis and humanitarian activism, gave a heartfelt address urging people to end the stigmas and fight for their God-given right to a sacred herb. Throughout a weekend filled with good vibrations, attendees from all over the world sampled hemp products, learned about the Marley Family’s various ganja lifestyle brands, and even found time to confess their wildest dreams aboard a Gratitude Bus. The visceral, musical embrace culminated in a true understanding of kaya and Rastafarian values. As the Marleys and their friends repeated,

“We can do more together.

Each one, teach one.

One Love.”

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“DX “ DX 21” 21 ” DASUN “As As it was in the beginning, so shall it be in the end.” end.

—Bob Marley, “One Love (People Get Ready)”

“One Love, One Heart,” Bob Marley sang, echoing the words of Pan-Africanism leader Marcus Mosiah Garvey. “One God, One Aim, One Destiny” while riding the onedrop rhythm sound. On the screen is a portrait of seven men: Robbie, Julian, Damian, Ky-Mani, Rohan, Stephen and Ziggy. Transfixed on the flick, Jamaica’s national motto comes to mind. Out of many, one people. It all comes down to one.

Out of one man, seven sons, five of whom sing with the one true voice. It gets naturally mystical and biblical. The five singers as five loaves of the body of Bob. The two fishes of music and lyrics sent to swim the seas of human consciousness, feeding the masses. While the House of Marley includes other ventures such as coffee, apparel, electronics and branded strands of ganja, word and sound remain the power.

On the screen there it was clear.

Ziggy, Damian. Damian, Ziggy. The last shall be first and the first shall be last. The youngest son bearing the moniker of The Father, a junior of the Tuff Gong before H.I.M. As one sets, a son rises. After the death of dub’s Don Dada, David took the crown. Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers rose to international prominence and superstar status with 1988’s Conscious Party. Memories of the “Tomorrow People” video profusely playing on Ralph

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McDaniels’ Video Music Box come to mind. The undeniable power of “Tumblin Down’” still pierces perception and the follow-up album, 1989’s One Bright Day still has us wanting to “Look Who’s Dancin.”

While the 80s and 90s belonged to Ziggy in terms of prominence and grabbing Grammys (and he just released a powerful new album, Rebellion Rises, to unite humanity), the past two decades have belonged to Jr. Gong. With aid of his “melody maker” production partner-in-crime, Stephen Marley, Damian has consistently killed sounds and conquered duppies.

The summer of 1996 witnessed a switch. Marley Magic Live at New York’s Central Park Summerstage.

The emergence of Mr. Marley. The Dancehall-infused “Love and Inity” showed and proved that “One Cup of Coffee” was now a very different cup of tea.

It was the performance of “Me Name Jr. Gong” smoothly transitioning into “Crazy Baldheads,” the song which forms its foundation, that solidified the dawn of the rising sun in the eyes of a writer. Looking at the songs on Damian Marley’s debut release, the use of the Hip Hop playbook is evidenced.

The kid with Super Cat chat had an unfair sampling advantage; the Tuff Gong catalog could be drawn upon for backing tracks, and the technique has been a hallmark of

his work ever since.

In 2001 a writer was part of The Star & Buc Wild Morning Show on New York’s Hot 97 and came face to face with Gongzilla for the first time. The Marley Brothers were promoting Damian’s sophomore effort Half-Way Tree. What resonated most was the emphasis they placed on the unity of their brotherhood. They were all of one. The performers were five Zion Lions combining to form Reggae’s Voltron of The Father’s form. In 2002, a Grammy ensued. But it was 2005’s Welcome to Jamrock that made Marley a household name.

That is, Damian’s brand of it.

The album’s mega hit title cut, “Welcome to Jamrock,” an anti-anthem for the Jamaican tourist board, touted the real hardcore with the score of a musically menacing “Move Militant” march.

Welcome to Jamrock received a gold certification, an astronomical achievement for a Reggae album and, in 2006, another Grammy was added to Jr. Gong’s collection. While the single, “Welcome to Jamrock,” was an everywhere vibe in 2005, the album was frontto-back track for track solid. Cuts like “There for You” had a writer weeping and wailing many a day.

That year, backstage at his tour bus, a writer gave his roadies a ceramic tile craft of H.I.M. Emperor Halie Selassie I to present

The Marley Brothers: Damian (third from left) and author “DX21” Dasun; Damian Marley (right) Photo © Bobskyler Doudou Ndoye

THE LAST SHALL BE FIRST

to Jr. Gong as a gift as he performed at Roy Wilkins Park in Queens. (Did he ever receive it?) A writer looked into his eyes once again backstage at the then-Nokia Theater in Times Square, and marveled at how long his flag-bearer, Judah, could swing the Ites, Gold and Green as Jr. Gong does his songs.

It was clear from the body of work that Jr. Gong was well versed in the cosmic connections of “Natural Mystic” music. As he seamlessly moved in a “Beautiful” fashion between the worlds of Bob Marley and Super Cat, Dancehall and Roots, he could also boom-bap with Rap. The collaboration “Road to Zion” led to a joint album in 2010 with Nas, Distant Relatives. The work is arguably a masterpiece and one of the most underrated and slept on projects of the 21st century thus far. Truthfully, Rap and Reggae are not distant relatives or even different musical branches, but the trunk of one tree. One drum. One beat. One mic. The sound systems and sound clashes of Jamaica are at the sonic basis of both Hip Hop and Dancehall, so Distant Relatives was not a bridge over troubled waters, but a homecoming.

Over the subsequent years, singles with Stephen kept the vibes breathing. It got SuperHeavy with Mick Jagger and Joss Stone, he sought to “Make it Bun Dem” with Skrillex. We asked “Is It Worth It?” as we explored a Gunman World and we learned more of “Jah Army” before we lost Buju Banton. Flash to September 2016, a writer witnesses a performance of “Nail Pon Cross” at New York’s Bowery Ballroom. The road is destined for Stony Hill.

One Love. One Heart. One more thing… Glanced over in the syrupy-sweet presentations of the song as a beacon for island tourism are the warnings of righteous war. “Let’s get together to fight this Holy Armageddon (One love) / So when the Man comes there will be no, no doom (One song)/ Have pity on those whose chances grow thinner / There ain’t no hiding place from the Father of Creation.” And in the wake of one man are a billion bloodclaat boomshot boom chunes burning Babylon with biblical bias.

How long shall they kill our prophets? How long shall they go unacknowledged? Did prophesy end in the times

of the “holy books” or is it just that Mormons are among the few that acknowledge “latter day saints?” In the video for “Bam,” a collaboration between Jay-Z and Jr. Gong off the 4:44 album, over scenes from Trenchtown, Jamaica, the voice of Jayhova is heard.

“The prophets in the beginning were musicians,” says Jay-Z. “They were poets; the writers.

And that’s what we’ve been tasked with in this life.”

On Jr. Gong’s Stony Hill, that new bibles continue to be written everyday is apparent on tracks such as “Speak Life,” “The Struggle Discontinues,” and the aforementioned “Nail Pon Cross.” The surreal symphonic structure of “Looks Are Deceiving” echoes The Father in an otherworldly fashion. “Living it Up” celebrates the rewards for those who have endured and shall inherit all things. The performer prophets, including Marley, sing one song. Lambchop’s song that never ends. The 42 Negative Confessions of Ma’at is the 10 Commandments is Jr. Gong’s “R.O.A.R.” Out of many, one people. Out of one man, seven shining suns emerged, but Bob Marley birthed a nation of millions singing in harmony. Angels singing in the presence of the throne. While the masses may have seen the music as chunes attuned to ganja, there may be no greater gospel than the revelations of Rastafari’s Reggae. The message remains as one. Revelations continue to be revealed. Babylon, your throne gone down. Babylon funeral like Dezarie ah seh. The system remains a shit-stem. Stand by for further instructions.

The Five Percenters, the “spiritual” backbone of the vibration of Hip Hop, call it “love, hell or right.” We go through hell, but with love, we come out right. With that one love, we shall stride out of Babylon and reach Zion. Whether they be physical realities or state of consciousness, or Armageddon a metaphor for achieving higher levels of personal development, it all comes full circle. What is a beginning but the start of end and what is an end but the start of a new beginning? Alpha and omega, 360 degrees, as the father before H.I.M.; the Jr. Gong rings redemption songs and continues the legacy.

“The last shall be first and the first shall be last.” honeysucklemag.com • HONEYSUCKLE MAGAZINE | 45

Ronit Pinto

lm fi

ARCTIC Ryan Morrison (writer), Mads Mikkelsen, Tim Zajaros, Noah Haussner. Front is Joe Penna and Tomas Tomasson (DP)

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here are still a few regions in this world where nature reigns, and humans must learn to adapt to her whims. Arctic, the debut feature by Brazilian filmmaker and YouTube sensation Joe Penna, follows a stranded man (Hannibal’s Mads Mikkelsen) as he struggles to survive on one of the last true frontiers. Produced

by Armory Films, the house behind last year’s pioneering Oscar-nominated drama Mudbound, Arctic premiered to acclaim at Cannes this May. Honeysuckle sat down with Tim Zajaros, Armory’s co-founder, for some behind-the-scenes anecdotes from this icy new epic.

How did you come to produce this film?

Noah Haussner, one of the other producers, sent us the script and the look book [pitch deck]. The intention was to shoot in Iceland, although other locations were in consideration. The Icelandic look was absolutely breathtaking and 46 | HONEYSUCKLE MAGAZINE • honeysucklemag.com

that’s what really got my attention. I read the script and immediately saw the potential. I had a few comments/ notes I wanted to share with Joe Penna and [co-writer] Ryan Morrison. They implemented the changes incredibly fast and exceptionally well. We all sat down for lunch, discussed the project and bit more and decided to move forward together. The whole process from getting the script to getting into production was quite fast. Maybe a few months at most.

How did you get Mads Mikkelsen for the lead ? What was it like working with him?

This was one of the rare instances where you land the first and only actor you go out to. Typically, it’s quite a process casting a movie. I credit the script, Joe Penna’s vision and ability to communicate that, and Martha de Laurentiis for making it all happen so quickly with Mads. Martha had produced the show Hannibal

with Mads, so she was able to get the script to the top of the pile of offers he had. Joe and the script were able to do the rest.

As for working with Mads, he was absolutely amazing. I mean, I don’t think the word “dedicated” is strong enough to really communicate how much he cares for his work. The shoot was incredibly difficult being out in the snow and very far from civilization 98 percent of the time.

While there was a trailer and vans for Mads if he wanted to get in from the cold, he really never did. He remained on set almost the entire time. He wanted to do everything as well. No stunt doubles, no doubles of any kind.

He’s so aware of his movements and how the character carries himself, he didn’t want anyone else to do even the simplest tasks, because he wanted to be sure the film and the character maintained [their] authenticity and honesty.

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He really thought very much like a producer and kept incredibly detailed notes on his script. None like I’d ever seen. He knew what we’d shot and what we needed every day.

On top of that, he’s just an awesome guy. Incredibly nice, fun and down to earth. As you’ve probably gathered, I loved working with him and would do it again in a heartbeat.

Was anyone on the crew in particular concerned or aware of climate change?

The Arctic is one of the Earth’s great measures of climate effects.

During The Revenant, for example, I think they continually had to hunt for snow.

This was a MAJOR issue for us. We were absolutely chasing snow. You think Iceland and you’d think it’s got to be all snow all the time, at least in winter. This was not the case. In fact, our production got incredibly lucky.

Snow was sparse up until three to four days before we started principal photography, at which point we got one of the largest snowfalls Iceland had seen in years. If that would not have happened, we would have spent thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of dollars to make snow.

A production that took place literally right before ended up having to do that. I believe they spent upwards of $200,000 on making snow. In short yes, EVERYONE was both aware and concerned.

If you could please contrast the environmental experience on Mudbound with Arctic…

Similar to Arctic, we would get frequent weather changes when shooting Mudbound in Louisiana.

It was ALWAYS extraordinarily hot and humid, but it also stormed generally once a day, and when that happened, lightning and thunder would accompany the rain, which would mean we had to stop shooting for safety reasons. The difficulty was

really when bigger storms would come and cause massive delays. For example, our 29-day Mudbound shoot ended up becoming a 27-day shoot due to losing two days to major storms.

Unfortunately, because weather in Louisiana is so unpredictable and storms are so common, you can’t purchase insurance for those days.

Thus, if you lose a day to weather, you don’t get it back unless you take from somewhere else in the budget. On Mudbound , when we lost a day, it was simply lost.

The same was true with Arctic; there wasn’t insurance for weather.

If it stormed and we had to stop, it wouldn’t qualify for an insurance day. Thus, everything that was to be shot on a day you lost now has to be scheduled into the remaining shoot days, which is a real challenge when you’re already on a tight schedule.

The two films were completely different in that Arctic was shot in Iceland and it was very cold and snowy, whereas Mudbound, being shot in the summer, outside in Louisiana, was extremely hot and humid. It’s literally one extreme and then the other. I’m not really sure from a climate standpoint which was worse. It took a good fifteen minutes to get ready to brave the cold every day (LOTS of winter clothing) and oftentimes was very difficult to stay warm; however, the extreme heat and humidity in the south during the summer is also truly brutal.

The weather was still very much a challenge for everyone in that it changed almost hourly. This made scheduling almost impossible. While we did have a schedule, it changed depending on what was forecasted for the next day. The problem was oftentimes we’d have to wait to see what the weather was like in the morning and then decide what we were going to shoot. Fortunately, the team from Pegasus Pictures was incredible. I don’t know how we could have pulled the film off without them.

Every member of the production staff was invaluable. Our small, nimble team allowed us to quickly and easily make last-minute decisions that afforded us the ability to make our film on time and on budget. I can’t credit them enough. _______________________________________ Tim Zajaros is a producer and cofounder of Armory Films. Originally from Michigan, he now lives in Los Angeles. For more information, visit armoryfilms.com.

Mads has said this is the most physically difficult shoot he’s ever done. Did the crew experience similar challenges out in the elements?

90 percent of the people on set were from Iceland. Thus, the climate is something they are incredibly familiar with. Our crew was a bunch of Vikings, and I say this in the most endearing way. While the rest of us are freezing and trying to figure out better ways to stay warm, we’ve got set [decorators] digging snow with their shirts off.

Producer Tim Zajaros honeysucklemag.com • HONEYSUCKLE MAGAZINE | 47

“A captivating legal thriller that’s impressively unpredictable.”

—Kirkus Reviews

NEMESIS

Two married men. One murdered woman.

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Photo by Sam C. Long

lliot has everything: A successful medical practice, New York City townhouse, beautiful wife and family, and a powerful, independent mistress. Ted, Elliot’s close, long-time friend, relishes his booming law practice, beautiful wife, fast car, and his sexual dynamo of a mistress. Both competitive to a fault, Elliot and Ted don’t realize that their long nights of erotic exploits transpire with the same woman, Lindsey. That all changes the day she is murdered. Evidence points to Elliot’s culpability and Ted gallantly defends his friend in a vicious courtroom battle. But as Elliot’s sordid affair airs in court and the nightly news, observers begin to suspect that he’s taking the fall for someone else. Sex, murder, deception and betrayal. Will justice be served—and to whom?

DAVID PINTO was born in Israel and has lived in the United States for over 40 years. He studied at the University of Michigan and the University of Texas, graduating with a degree in architecture from UT. He designs and builds residential homes in Austin, Texas.

FICTION $16.50 heliotropebooks.com Available on Amazon.com and BarnesandNobel.com

davidpintoauthor.com “A courtroom thriller depicts a friendly rivalry turned deadly.

Elliot Barrett’s life is an enviable one. He’s a prestigious physician with a thriving practice, a well-appointed home in New York City, a devoted wife, and two loving children.

He risks it all when he becomes romantically involved with Lindsey Anderson, the seductive daughter of a patient.

When she turns up dead, the police immediately blame Elliot. There is incontrovertible evidence placing him in her apartment and damning if circumstantial evidence suggestive of a sexual affair. Elliot decides to deny the tryst and enlists the help of his best friend, Ted Lapoltsky, a successful lawyer, to defend him. Unbeknownst to Elliot, Ted also had an affair with Lindsey and wanted to leave his wife for her, a design she squarely rejected. Ted and Lindsey had become locked in a passionate argument about it, and when she revealed she was also seeing Elliot, Ted grabbed her in a jealous fury, causing her to hit her head and sink into unconsciousness. While Ted defends Elliot, he’s careful to avoid even a hint of self-incrimination. He also revels in the opportunity to see his prudishly judgmental rival publicly disgraced.

A captivating legal thriller that’s impressively unpredictable.”

What makes David Pinto's debut novel, Nemesis, so startling is that he invokes all the essential elements [of] strong fiction writing... in the first few pages of his riveting noir style novel.

Actually, he hits the bull's-eye on page one. David Pinto may have set a record for narrative lapel-grabbing...

It's safe to assume that there will be a boatload of upscale crime and passion revealed... the author deftly [uses] dialogue to establish tension, danger, and inevitable conflict...

Experience awaits anyone who picks up this spellbinding novel... The entire narrative turns on the incrementally revealed sexual choreography that's unfolded in the lives of two upstanding, solid citizens. They come to discover that the dead woman about whom the police have questions (and whom they assume was murdered) is, in fact, the same woman that each man, unbeknownst to each other, has exploited as a mistress.

A tight, cinematic, onrushing narrative flow carries the story, and Pinto's skill with dialogue and details is robust each step of the way.

This novel has the simmering heat of up-market erotica of 9 1/2 Weeks and the excruciating, white-knuckle legal machinations of Scott Turow's best works. Nemesis reminds us that powerful storytelling is always a royal seduction.

—Kirkus Reviews Heliotrope Books—Neworld Review

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“Kiss the Ground tells the story of soil as you’ve never heard it before. As the film explains, the keys to restoring the world’s beauty rest right under our feet, in the millions of live organisms that inhabit nutrient-rich dirt.“

Jaime Lubin

Ask Josh Tickell’s four-year-old daughter what her family’s job is, and she’ll answer, “To save Mama Earth.” The acclaimed filmmaker and his wife, actress/producer Rebecca Harrell Tickell, are passionate environmental activists whose documentaries (such as the Sundance Award-winning, Oscar-shortlisted Fuel and the Cannes-celebrated The Big Fix) chronicle the greatest problems facing our planet. But their upcoming feature Kiss the Ground, to be released this fall, goes beyond sustainability to provide us with new hope.

It’s not a climate change movie—it’s a guide to stopping climate change for good, and we’d better pay attention.

Kiss the Ground tells the story of soil as you’ve never heard it before. As the film explains, the keys to restoring the world’s beauty rest right under our feet, in the millions of live organisms that inhabit nutrient-rich dirt. We’ve been destroying their natural order for decades without realizing that by hurting them, we’re dooming ourselves. Two-thirds of the globe is now turning to desert, and we have approximately 60 years of arable topsoil left. If we don’t act fast, nearly one billion people will be refugees of soil desertification by 2050. But if we can understand how everything connects, we’ll have a fighting chance. honeysucklemag.com • HONEYSUCKLE MAGAZINE | 49

“Version 1.0 of the climate change conversation, that’s done,” Josh asserts. “The choir has to sing with one voice. We need [everybody] to understand how we’re going to pull carbon out of the atmosphere, how soon we can do it, and what the methods are. That’s the new conversation. We need everyone to focus on the prerequisite for life, because biology is the key to sustaining [it].”

The film teaches that we have a “legacy load” of carbon to get rid of, 1000 gigatons in Earth’s atmosphere to be precise. This buildup has amassed increasingly since the Industrial Revolution, and it comes primarily from our flawed approach to agriculture. Conventional farmers till the soil, leaving it broken and bare, and the exposure causes the deaths of countless microbes, releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and acidifying the oceans, killing valuable oxygen-producing phytoplankton. At the same time, livestock feed lots produce heavy greenhouse gases, our food and water supplies get poisoned as farmers rely more and more on chemicals for their yields (nothing can grow in over-tilled soil), and the rising carbon emissions change the cloud patterns, causing each part to effect the whole.

“This time there is an urgency that hasn’t existed in

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the same way with anything else I’ve done,” Tickell notes. “The policy and thinking around climate change has really stagnated in the past ten years. There has been so little movement within that space. You know, screw in a lightbulb, put a solar panel in your house, put a wind turbine in—All good things, but none of it is going to change the amount of carbon in the atmosphere and it won’t change the trajectory that we are on. In order to change our trajectory, we have to change our micro-climate. We have to rebuild soil, and we have to do reverse desertifica-

tion. It’s reframing the climate conversation in a much more sensible, practical, and realistic plan that is achievable.”

So how do we achieve it? We start listening to Planet Earth, and participate in a regenerative economy. Enter Kiss the Ground’s pioneers of eco-holism, experts who are taking matters into their own hands to change the global perception of how to work with the land.

From farmers and ranchers to chemists and wellness researchers, from Zimbabwean ecologist Allan Savory to French Minister of Agriculture Stéphane Le Folle, the film shows a stunning diversity of professionals committed to a philosophy that values all life.

“It’s about love,” Maria Rodale, CEO of environmental publisher Rodale Inc., says in the documentary. She visibly tears up as she talks about the need to appreciate each microorganism, worm, and mycorrhizal fungus that contributes to soil health. Indeed, several on-camera

interviewees get emotional when they describe our planet’s dire straits and their dreams for a better future. (I also found it impossible not to cry; Kiss the Ground, takes the viewer on an enlightening, eminently heartrending journey.)

Two standout figures in the regenerative field are soil conservationist Ray Archuleta and rancher Gabe Brown. Now cofounders of the Soil Health Academy, Archuleta and Brown consult around the country to educate people about the links between humanity and the ground.

They teach techniques focused on biomimicry, or emulating nature. Instead of growing a single crops, like

corn or soybeans, farmers should strive for biodiversity.

Chemicals shouldn’t be involved at any level of the process, and producers should adopt a no-till policy. Cover crops should be used throughout the year so that raw topsoil is never exposed to the sun, and organic matter such as compost and manure should be incorporated as often as possible. Livestock should graze in concentrated rotation, rather than packed in feed lots, to produce that manure as a natural fertilizer. 1% of organic matter holds roughly 25,000 gallons of water (thereby reducing acid runoff)—and 10 tons of carbon.

Herein lies the secret to reversing desertification and climate change! It’s called biosequestration, the capture and storage of greenhouse gases, which happens naturally when plants in healthy soil begin to grow and photosynthesize. During one illuminating sequence in Kiss the Ground, Archuleta demonstrates the power of biosequestration using a timeelapsed carbon chart. He points out that during early spring months, when most farmers are tilling and disrupting the soil, the carbon emissions are at their peak levels, but in summer when the plants start to blossom, they pull carbon into the ground.

agriculture, which integrates several of the proposed solutions simultaneously, is one of the most effective pathways to drawdown, both in physical results and in financial cost.

“When you look at regenerative,” Tickell observes, “this has the potential to add about $10,000,000,000,000 to the global economy over the next couple of decades.

There is very little else that you can say that about.

We’re talking about fundamentally increasing the value of the basis of life: soil, water, calories, and nutrition…

When you’re talking about changing deserts into lush ecosystems, when you’re talking about bringing ecosystems back online, you’re essentially talking about bringing tremendous amounts of money to the table. From an economic perspective this is a no-brainer and it’s going to enrich huge numbers of people. By that I do not mean make huge numbers of people rich—I mean it has the potential to raise millions of people out of poverty. Nothing else has that potential, and I think that’s the big picture.”

Josh and Rebecca Tickell play with their children on the beach in Southern California; photo courtesy of Big Picture Ranch

Underground organisms aid in keeping the carbon sequestered in the soil, and this is why Archuleta advocates for cover crops.

“A covered planet is a healthy planet,” he proclaims delightedly. “Everything’s connected; everything’s one.”

Biosequestration also sets the stage for drawdown, the point at which greenhouse gases in the atmosphere begin to decline.

Entrepreneur and author Paul Hawken, another expert spotlighted in Kiss the Ground, has created a comprehensive plan called Project Drawdown, an extensive mapping of the 100 most substantive solutions to global warming to be implemented through 2050. Regenerative

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While it’s difficult to ascertain how many will get the idea right away, some major sustainability influencers have enthusiastically embraced Kiss the Ground. Oscar winner and environmental philanthropist Leonardo DiCaprio is executive producing the film; John Roulac, founder of leading superfoods brand Nutiva, was an early adopter of the project; and Tickell credits Ryland Engelhart of Café Gratitude and filmmaker Darius Fisher, both of whom helped produce the documentary, with inspiring him and Rebecca to make it in the first place.

“There’s a lot of support and excitement from so many different organizations,” Tickell shares. “The plan is a late third-quarter release this year. We’ll try to get it into some theatres, but generally I believe it will have a very big digital release. In the meantime, before the film is ready, the book is available, which is doing really well and picking up steam.”

Tickell published a Kiss the Ground book last November, which differs from the movie in that it concentrates on the food consumers eat rather than the process of reverse desertification. “I think the shift is ultimately going to be driven by the consumer, the policies, and from the industry,” he comments. “It’s really these three vectors that coalesce. As a society we’re largely disconnected from the sources of most of the things that we touch, so we have to rebuild some of those connections... Part of this effort is going to be rebuilding connections between city folk and country folk—This is a great opportunity to create unity around a shared set of values and goals!”

For those who prefer a hands-on approach to education, there’s also Kiss the Ground’s namesake nonprofit organization, founded in 2013 by Ryland Engelhart and musician Finian Makepeace. Through a variety of programs for adults and children, Kiss the Ground makes soil health training accessible to anyone interested in joining the movement.

Josh highly recommends taking part in their regenerative courses: “There are tools we can use to develop the first generation of soil warriors to be educated, understand the science, and tackle what’s going to come next, which are the policy changes, ecological development, and financial tools… The idea is that I [as filmmaker, author and public speaker] will help create the arrowhead that will drive this message forward and the nonprofit will continue to have this infrastructure to facilitate education.”

Even if you live far from the nonprofit’s California headquarters, you might soon see Tickell or Kiss the Ground team members in your hometown. They’ve em-

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barked on an international speaking tour to engage the widest possible audience on the subject of regenerative agriculture, and Josh encourages requests for appearances: “If anyone is interested in having [us] come and speak on this topic, please reach out.”

But in between books, movies, and live appearances, Tickell’s first priority remains his family. His young children, both born during production of Kiss the Ground, spur him and Rebecca to keep making the world a better place.

“My daughter has grown up around this conversation,” he reflects. “She knows about soil, how to compost, how to plant seeds and water them.

She probably knows more plant species than me. Her awareness is so high. I can’t go anywhere without her picking up trash… She knows where plastic goes, in the ocean; she’s starting to make the connections between her toys and that they’re made of plastic. At four years old, she’s dealing with real-world dilemmas... I think she’s going to be an even more intense planetary advocate than either me or Rebecca…We need to champion these ideas. That’s where the future is going.”

And because it’s ultimately all about connections, I can’t resist asking Tickell if he believes there’s a spiritual component to the regenerative methods. He doesn’t hesitate for a second when he answers yes.

“Definitely. It doesn’t matter what spiritual flavor you come from; every major religion has a codification of honoring the soil and the Earth. It’s something I talk about in the book. We’re the first global society not to have a system of honor or gratitude for the Earth or soil. That’s interesting when you look at how it’s going for our civilization… There’s more life in a handful of healthy soil than humans who have ever lived! How can you be present to that information and not be present to awe, just absolute awe and wonder? And when you’re present to all that wonder, I think it borders on a truly spiritual experience.”

(Editor’s Note: Tickell adds that the people working at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, who are featured in the film, deserve far more public and media attention. Please look them up and support their dedicated efforts to study climate change!)

For more information on the nonprofit, visit kisstheground.com. To support Josh and Rebecca Tickell’s developing work, visit kissthegroundbook.com and joshtickell.com.

Photo © Koolik Visuals

An Interview with Ray Archuleta Jaime Lubin and Ronit Pinto

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hey call him the Soil Guy, and in his voice it sounds like “soul.” And it should, because Ray Archuleta is practically the Dalai Lama of modern regenerative agriculture. Or maybe the Lorax would be a more apt comparison, because like Dr. Seuss’s resilient environmentalist, Archuleta speaks for the Earth. His cries of “It’s alive!” when discussing soil ecology electrify his audiences—but he’ll be the first to tell you that saving the planet is a communal responsibility.

“Everything’s connected; everything’s one,” has become Archuleta’s motto. It’s immortalized in the upcoming documentary Kiss the Ground, which follows several pioneers working to restore Earth’s ecosystem, and Ray’s mission in regenerative techniques is one of those most lovingly chronicled.

For thirty years he’s been a Conservation Agronomist for the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), where he “spent two decades giving bad advice and another one making up for it.” In 2017, he left the government to cofound the nonprofit Soil Health Academy with renowned holistic rancher Gabe Brown. Together with a small team of likeminded innovators, they are educating producers

in the regenerative method and breaking them of conventional habits.

If you read the foregoing article on Kiss the Ground [see pages 45-48], you’ll have the basic concept and tools for regenerative agriculture, which teaches us to work with the Earth through biomimicry, practices that emulate nature. This means recognizing the soil as a living entity, home to millions of microorganisms that help reduce carbon emissions when they’re healthy, and increase them when they grow sick and die. Think of it as our planet’s epidermis—you don’t want your skin cut open, sucked dry of nutrients and pumped full of toxins, but that’s exactly what billions of people around the world do to soil every single day.

Traditional agriculture has failed us, Archuleta explains, because it’s based on reductionist thinking, or single-effect control. We see the fallout everywhere, from the scarce arable land and emaciated crop yields to the increased suicide rates of American farmers (now at an all-time high and at a greater percentage than any other industry in the country). But if we start thinking in a quantum, holistic way, we can stop the destructive cycles. To do that, we need to understand how science, social constructs, and spirituality merge to create a natural planetary wellness.

“We [humans] are part of the Creation, not separate

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from it,” Archuleta says. “But we don’t appreciate it… People want to isolate things…Economists love to do everything without ecology.

Ecologists want to take humans out.

They’re both flawed. The overarching principle is collaboration.”

It sounds simple, but the idea is hard for most to accept. “A lot of people don’t have it right,” Ray notes. “But how do you bring out those producers who are stuck in that matrix? The government, and by extension the social community, pushed farmers down this route [of harmful practices].

They need to change the way they think. When I’m teaching, I’ve got five minutes to destroy your preset concepts and paradigms about farming. Once I destroy everything you think you know, then I can build you up. I have to teach you, change this whole thing by one heart, one mind at a time. That’s how you create change. It’s a revolution.”

Here’s the truth as we know it: The government has provided crop insurance to farmers since the 1930s, particularly to those growing staples such as corn or soybeans. Because farmers receive significant federal subsidies if they grow these crops, they will continue producing only those

vegetables even if they experience a bad harvest season. Our taxes pay their insurance on failed yields.

Additionally, the government has encouraged and subsidized farmers to use various pesticides and herbicides since the 1940s, when chemical warfare testing resulted in profitable crop booms. Today’s farmers still get hefty payouts for chemical usage because of corporate deals between pesticide manufacturers and the Department of Agriculture, though the “productive” nitrogen blooms no longer work and are poisoning our water supply through acid runoff.

Even chemical-free farmers often till the soil, a destructive aeration method which causes mass microorganism death, and keep large animals on greenhouse gas-heavy feedlots. In lieu of this, Archuleta promotes no-till agriculture and a permaculture of cover crops. He also urges ranchers to let their livestock graze within a routine corral that will spread manure around the property.

If cows and sheep are kept more concentrated in the pastures and moved a few times throughout the day, they will be happier and aid in the revitalization of farmland.

As a bonus, the changeover to

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biomimicry will save farmers money!

Ray relays the success story of Bryan O’Hara from Lebanon, Connecticut, who uses spores from the local forest floor to control his weeds and made news as the first American no-till organic farmer. Not only did O’Hara win the 2016 NOFA Organic Farmer of the Year award, he’s been able to cut his annual production costs by $100,000 using regenerative techniques.

Small steps in the right direction can accomplish a lot of good, Archuleta asserts: “There’s a bridge called microecology, where you can take the current construct and incorporate more ecology into the whole system. A farmer that’s already growing corn and soybeans, if he buys a cover crop and incorporates it by the end of the year, he’s done a huge thing. A guy that farms a thousand acres of crops for corn syrup, if he would plant corn and give it a cover crop, then pair it with no tillage, he’s done a huge thing. It’s science. His soil gets healthier, there’s more organic matter, and it just gets better and better. First things first, if I can get people just to cover the land, that would be significant. Can you imagine driving from California

Find more information about the Soil Health Academy and regenerative agriculture at soilhealthconsulting.com or by emailing learn@soilhealthacademy.org.

Photo © Koolik Visuals

Ray Archuleta; photo courtesy of Archuleta personal collection/NRCS

all the way to Maryland with the ground covered? We could reduce herbicide use by 70-80 percent.”

Anyone eager to learn Archuleta’s style of practical ecoholism can enroll in the Soil Health Academy’s program.

The school charges $1275 per person—a bargain when one considers the long-term effects regenerative will have on a farmer’s budget— and they provide discounts for couples that attend together. They also work with the Kiss the Ground foundation to fund scholarships for younger students and perpetuate self-education so graduates can teach others.

“My criterion is, ‘Do you love the land and the people?

Are you willing to sacrifice yourself?’” Ray asks. “The more diversity of humans we have, that just makes it more eclectic and gives more to the thought process… Gabe and I would love an infusion of donations so that we can start writing the curriculum better and make sure that it gets facilitated out in a quality that we would like. But we travel so much and consult on hundreds of thousands of acres too, so it’s not just a matter of teaching [in a classroom], but we go help other people heal their land… So it’s a two-pronged effect, teach and instruct through a hands-on consultation.”

Regardless of how somebody arrives at the Soil Health Academy or gets interested in regenerative methods, it’s imperative that they treat the process – including farmers, animals, and all parts of the Earth – with deep respect.

“Think about what you’re doing, because it’s going to have cascading upper-effects or downer-effects. It takes a spiritual consciousness. My theological background has really helped me understand nature… Nature is nonlinear. She’s elegant, she’s beautiful, but she’s always changing… We’re so disrespectful to that. We’ve stopped saying, ‘I’m the problem.’

The moment you do that, you lose humility and knowledge flows away.”

His sentiment feels strikingly akin to The Lorax’s climactic message. Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.

Asking humans in the digital age to be humble is a tall order, possibly even more difficult than convincing them to break from over a century of conventional wisdom. But Archuleta remains a steadfast optimist, and perhaps humility is the greatest lesson that he and other such innovators can impart to us. Let’s marvel at our connection to Earth and do our best to protect her – because once we get that truth in our souls, that’s when the true regeneration begins.

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NOCO R H emp

We’re living in the age of magical plants—more specifically, the cannabis sativa plant, known in its non-psychoactive form as hemp. Unlike “marijuana” cannabis, industrial/ agricultural hemp contains less than 1% THC, the molecule that stimulates the feeling of getting high, and its applications for everything from clothing to food to building materials and alternative fuels is unparalleled. Yet cannabis-friendly as we are at Honeysuckle, we still had no idea what revelations our journey into the industrial hemp community would bring.

When we traveled to the world’s largest hemp-centric tradeshow, NoCo Hemp Expo, in the aptly-named town of Loveland, Colorado, a whole new world opened before our eyes. Hemp isn’t just having a moment, it’s a movement, a key component in the effort to save our planet.

Welcome to NoCo

“This plant can do more things than any other plant on Earth,” says Morris Beegle, NoCo’s founder. “Bottom line: It’s the most genetically diverse plant there is, and the amount of products or ingredients that can come from [it] is amazing. Everybody should be using hemp in every way— in their diet, in their daily lives.”

A decades-long cannabis advocate, Beegle got introduced to hemp in 1995 when he read Jack Herer’s landmark book The Emperor Has No Clothes, which extols the plant’s benefits in both psychoactive and agricultural forms. Cut to today, when Beegle is

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evolution

now a major player in the arena, founder of the Colorado Hemp Company and TreeFreeHemp.com; an advisory board member for organizations and businesses including Hempstead Project H.E.A.R.T., PureHemp Technology, and the Hemp Business Journal; and a speaker at conferences around the globe. In five years he’s grown NoCo into a powerful forum for education and industry: Nearly 150 businesses were represented at the 2018 expo, including big names in sustainability like Dr. Bronner’s and the Rodale Institute, and over 6,000 attendees sold out both days of festivities. (So many crowded into Loveland’s Ranch Events Complex that the local fire marshal had to lock the buildings!)

Touring NoCo, we find that Morris’s words ring true; there’s no shortage of uses for the plant, and walking the exhibition hall reveals not only fashion, food, and CBD products (the medicinal molecule in cannabis), but also building insulation, automotive materials, and even hemp-derived plastic.

From rope and seed oils to jetpack biofuels, we’ve come a long way.

Just as important as hemp’s contribution to our daily lives is what it will do for the environment. Highly resistant to most insects and disease, the plant largely eliminates the need for pesticides and herbicides. A single acre of hemp will yield as much as two or three acres of cotton. It’s fire-retardant, there are no known allergies to it, and it remediates the soil. Even the byproducts are terrific renewable resources: Hemp paper is stronger, acid-free, has a longer shelf life, and

costs less than half as much to process as tree paper. Plus it can be recycled ten times without losing its integrity, whereas wood-based paper can only be recycled twice.

No wonder those who work with hemp have such infectious energy. The positive vibes are palpable throughout the exhibits, the panels, and the two day-long seminars, the Hemp Summit and Farm Symposium.

Everyone present knows they’re part of something beautiful, a connection to the Earth that’s existed for millennia and can now reemerge after a century of stigmatization. As Beegle writes in the NoCo program’s introduction, it will take a unifying effort to spread the message that’s going to change how modern society views hemp: “WE as a WHOLE will determine the future of this plant and of this industry… #OnePlant #OnePlanet #OneLouder #OneMission”

Law of the Land

It’s really a dynamic time to be involved with hemp, not least because of the rapidly-approaching changes in the law. In 1937, hemp was classified as part of the Marihuana Tax Act, making it federally illegal to grow, even for industrial purposes, and the plant has been criminalized in the United States ever since. The association with marijuana continued with the Controlled Substances Act of 1970. But as individual states have legalized cannabis, the idea of hemp cultivation has become more widely accepted, and the movement for industrial hemp legalization strengthened. With the passage

of the 2014 Farm Bill, the movement scored an historic victory in the form of amendment Section 7606, which permitted domestic hemp production under a research pilot program. As of 2018, thirty-nine states have enacted laws allowing farmers to grow industrial hemp.

Could this be the year of federal legalization? It’s possible. On April 12, 2018, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) introduced the bipartisan Hemp Farming Act to the United States Senate Agricultural Committee. The bill’s purpose: Shift oversight responsibilities to the USDA for the first time in history. It gained steady support from Senators Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) and Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), plus a May 16 endorsement from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York), who signed on as a co-sponsor.

“Robust support for the new language has come from many, including Senator Angus King [Independent-Maine], and strong agriculture support has been received from senators including Senator John Hoeven [R-North Dakota] and Senator Thom Tillis [R-North Carolina],” wrote Ben Droz, Legislative Liaison for the organization Vote Hemp.

Droz pointed out three new amendments filed to the existing Farm Bill, all led by Kentucky Representatives

James Comer, Andy Barr, and Thomas Massie. Comer’s amendment removes industrial hemp from the definition of marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act and places it under the jurisdiction of the USDA as an agricultural commodity. Barr’s amendment creates a “safe harbor” environment for financial institutions that provide services to hemp businesses authorized under the Farm Bill’s pilot program, as well as their third-party affiliates. Massie’s amendment changes the language in the Controlled Substances Act to exclude industrial hemp from the definition of “marijuana.”

“The Massie amendment would be a savior to many farmers who have had to destroy perfectly good crops because of an arbitrary THC limit,” Droz concluded. (Under the Controlled Substances Act, industrial hemp has been defined as cannabis grown with 0.3% or less THC.) On June 13, the Senate Agricultural Committee voted 20-1 to pass McConnell’s Farm Bill. Despite opposition from Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the sole “No” voter who pushed for an amendment to modify the bill’s language so that “cannabinoids, extracts and derivatives” would be excluded from legal definitions of hemp, the bill moved to the Senate floor exactly as is.

Finally, on June 28, the Senate overwhelmingly approved the bill 86-11.

There’s now a showdown with the House on the horizon. Nothing’s certain, but the outlook is good. (To get involved in the legalization effort, visit VoteHemp.com.)

On Fertile Ground

George Washington and Thomas Jefferson said, “It is the patriotic duty of every American to grow hemp.”

Two hundred years later, an exceptionally wise Canadian added, “Always leave the soil better than when you found it.”

This was Rupert Stephens, a Vancouver-based berry farmer and songwriter whose son Arran went on to found the renowned organic food company Nature’s Path. In his keynote address at NoCo’s Hemp Summit, Arran mentions that hemp is a vital crop in organic agriculture for many reasons, particularly its capacity for soil remediation. The plant’s deep roots have the ability to absorb large quantities of contaminants without harm, and unlike corn or soybeans, hemp doesn’t draw excess moisture from the ground. Our entire planetary health, and thus humanity’s health, says Stephens, depends on maintaining nutrient-rich soil.

Considered a pioneer of organic agriculture, Arran observes that the movement actually began long before he got into it. In the 1940s, when

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Ewket Assefa of Elevated Naturally at NoCo

NoCo Founder Morris Beegle

ship with the land. He operates Funky Butte Ranch in New Mexico, where he herds goats and raises awareness of all things sustainable. Fine believes so passionately in the power of cannabis plants that he’s even testified to the United Nations about legalization (and if you meet him in person, he’ll tell you that every article of clothing he’s wearing, down to his underwear, is made of hemp).

Speaking at NoCo’s Farm Symposium, Fine describes how going rechemicals developed for warfare were generative was a logical progression shown to produce great yields and for him. “If you’re getting into hemp, commercial farmers were encouraged first thought is, how is this going to to use the resulting pesticides on their be part of humanity’s survival? The cannabis industry is the land, organic practices were adopted most impactful for in protest. “As long as there have g n i s development u e been chemicals,” Stephens “We’r e v l since the autoso comments, “there has been ure to t a mobile and Silin an organic response.” (His e’s r u t a con Valley. This is n father stopped using non.” s m e a farmer-driven Reorganic materials in 1950.) probl naissance for humanity Soil health is actually the within the digital age.” crux of the next step, regenerative As Fine explains, cannabis gives us agriculture. “Regenerative is beyond its benefits in diverse areas, and its organic,” Beegle asserts, “and where we’re at as a planet, we have to move contributions to the sequestration of carbon – thus its ability to remediate ahead in that direction.” soil and combat climate change – is From AG to Economy so far unmatched by any other plant.

“Soil sequestration may be more aweOne such soil health expert applying some than people are aware of,” he regenerative dictums to every possi- notes. “[We need to] really build soil ble sector is investigative writer Doug in a regenerative way to sequester Fine, author of the bestselling books lots and lots of carbon. As a society, Farewell My Subaru, Too High to Fail, we are all soil farmers now, and hemp and Hemp Bound. Known colloquially is just so functional across so many as the “organic cowboy,” Fine dedicates different platforms that it can form his life to a pure and unifying relation- the cornerstone for a whole biodynamic economy.”

The man’s as good as his word: Fine constantly challenges the paradox of holistic communing with nature and maintaining modern technological standards. He teaches classes on how digital-era urban dwellers can readapt to agricultural lifestyles (“some call them primitive skills classes, but I call them essential skills”), and urges people to incorporate soil and animal husbandry

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into their daily knowledge bases.

“I personally love getting my hands dirty,” he comments, “but even if one doesn’t, this is, again, about survival. I do think anyone, no matter what you’re doing with your life, is wise to have as much integration with livestock as possible. I’m holistic at heart, and I believe that native soil with complex local biomes, that’s the way to grow. The development of this whole soil economy must be brought about in such a way that it is not contributing to climate change, but providing a potential solution for humanity.”

Fine stresses that we need to examine what makes sense for our families, how we can assimilate plant-based materials into all facets of our lives, and buy mainly locally-sourced products. That can be as simple as moving beyond combustion – say, taking the solar panels that increasingly come standard with average homes and using those to power batteries made from biofuel rather than fossil fuels.

Getting acquainted with local and regional farmers, researching the methods used to produce crops in your area, are also key. Even neighborhood manufacturers of clothing and household products could be giving you better quality than large corporations do.

“If a local cobbler is charging you $300 for shoes that will last 10-15 years,” Fine says, “that’s not much compared to the long-term effect of name-brand shoes that cost $100 but have to be replaced every year. Do the math and realize that the initial price tag is not always the final price tag.”

Don’t underestimate the importance of DIY methods, either. “It’s fun, simple, and easy to be regenerative,” heralds Fine. Back at Funky Butte, his young sons are experimenting with hemp pens that use blueberry-and-pitch ink and they may have discovered a basis for natural glue made from pinesap.

“For me, it’s about the coming return to a bio-based economy versus a synthetic and chemical-based economy,”

Fine reiterates. ”Hemp is part of it, but it’s not the only plant.”

It is, however, the basis for the organic cowboy’s most exciting new projects. He’s currently working on a book that encompasses “all the things I wish I knew when I started,” including the cultivation, extraction, processing, and nutritional components of growing hemp in a regenerative system. Fine is also a consultant for the Colville tribe in Spokane, Washington, who plan to plant 120,000 acres of the crop on their land this year. Additionally, he just got to help engineer an inaugural program at the University of Hawaii, allowing the state its very first academically-sanctioned research in hemp cultivation.

And from a human perspective, Fine believes we have to build cooperative models that activate farmers at each level of industrial production so they can fully profit from the goods they raise. “That’s thinking seven generations ahead.

Do we want just a few sources for the rest of our lives [i.e., dependence on fossil fuels and timber], or do we want to support a lucrative, regenerative economy?”

Remember Your Roots

But if we are to have a true regenerative economy, all people must have the opportunity to share in the wealth.

Acclaimed environmentalist and former Vice Presidential candidate Winona LaDuke, executive director of the Native American advocacy organization Honor the Earth, exhorts the audience at NoCo’s Hemp Summit to be inclusive: “We want to be part of the next economy. I don’t want it just to look like you cool people; I want it to look like us cool people too… [When the money comes], we want to be at the table, not on the menu.”

Since 1989 LaDuke has worked to achieve sustainability and reclaim tribal land through the White Earth Land Recovery Project (WELRP), a nonprofit organization operating out of the White Earth reservation in western Minnesota. Through WELRP she revives cultivation of traditional Native crops such as wild rice, but in recent years she’s added hemp to the mix, commenting that her area of Minnesota ran several hemp mills until the 1940s. “We know what a sustainable economy looks like,” she declares.

“I want to bring something back to my region that makes sense for us.”

LaDuke is fighting a war on two fronts right now, trying to promote the hemp revolution in her hometown and protesting the encroachment of Line 3 of the Tar Sands Pipeline into her territory. As of this writing, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission has rejected a motion to consider the impacts of the pipeline’s expansion on tribal culture, and on June 28 gave Enbridge Energy official approval for the line. Activists across the region are prepared to combat the decision; with all the resistance efforts, LaDuke is optimistic the line will never be built.

Still, the situation is dire and the indigenous community suffering because of it. Past pipelines haven’t created jobs, only damaged both tribal lands and tribes further.

According to LaDuke, her people’s best hope lies in a regenerative economy. But the citizens on the White Earth reservation need more training in farming hemp, and greater access to resources.

“Share with us—bring us a supply chain!” LaDuke exclaims. “We need regenerative economy, because empire is not stable. The next economy needs to have us all working together.”

Somewhere That’s Green

The further development of hemp-derived products will tremendously impact our economic evolution, especially when it comes to drop-in materials. Several NoCo exhibitors specialize in producing hemp-based substitutions for paper, construction, and plastic, and the results are astounding.

Sunstrand, the largest provider of sustainable products in North America, creates plant-based goods including home insulation (safe to touch), automotive fillers, even surfboards. “We work primarily with bast plants [that are] rapidly renewable,” says Adam Block, Sunstrand’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Crops like hemp, flax, kenaf, and bamboo can all regrow within a year, whereas wood is “natural but certainly not rapidly renewable.”

Founded by biocomposite expert Dr. Trey Riddle, Sunstrand is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky with an additional facility in Alberta, Canada (and another opening in Pamplico, South Carolina).

Production is a large operation, but the main idea is simple: High-quality, cost-effective, and naturally-derived materials that will outperform the standard products.

“There’s a big misconception that green is expensive, or weird,” Block notes. “Or it’s extra, it’s hippie stuff.” But

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Above: Hemp Woman and Winona LaDuke

Sunstrand Hemp Coreboard, left, versus standard fiberglass insulation; Sunstrand founder Dr. Trey Riddle at NoCo, center; photos © Ben Wright

Sunstrand breaks those stereotypes.

“It’s three things: Cost, performance, and sustainability. It doesn’t have to be ‘Pick two’… that’s where Sunstrand comes in. We [can] control the supply chain, from grow all the way through to deliver a specific, highly-engineered, technical material.”

Part of Sunstrand’s business model is to contract with local and outof-state farmers so the company can oversee the manufacturing process from beginning to end. They give seeds to farmers, who grow “to our specifications, with our support, and we have a process called ‘retting,’” where microorganisms and moisture swell plant stalks to separate fibers and woody cores (“hurds”).

Block is especially proud of Sunstrand’s satellite expansion strategy: “We want to impact many local communities. It helps us diversify, so we can get crops from different areas at different times. To this point, everything we’ve done has been because industry asked for it. We are transitioning into more of a sales and production organization because industry wants it… This has a real impact beyond the environment; [it’s socio-cultural too, so] our level of corporate responsibility is enormous. And it’s made in America.”

Some particularly cool products include hemp coreboard that can be used in place of timber plywood, animal bedding, electronics, and bioplastic fillers that can slot into bike frames and boat cabins. (Bioplastic means any plastic originating from biodegradable 60 | HONEYSUCKLE MAGAZINE • honeysucklemag.com

materials instead of fossil fuels.)

Meanwhile, Sana Packaging takes things back to the consumer cannabis industry with hemp-plastic disposable tubes and containers for vape cartridges, rolls, and edibles. While they haven’t expanded beyond consumable products yet, they plan to get into biodegradable water bottles in the near future.

“We’re using nature to solve nature’s problems,” Sana’s co-founder Ron Basak-Smith remarks. “We want to use this material and make it so normal.”

In a panel on sustainably replacing everyday items, Basak-Smith mentioned what he’d like to see next —hemp coffee cups, filler for 3-D printing, and wearable accessories (proceeds from which can then be donated to legalization efforts). We’re still several years away from total biodegradable integration, but the possibilities are endless.

Have a Heart

Maybe it’s easy to adore hemp because the plant has a heart (the term for the vitamin-rich edible insides of its seeds). At the PureHemp Village, run by the refining company PureHemp Technology, they’re unveiling the pride of the expo, a life-size statue known as Hemp WoMan, with an equally adorable core.

“When we made her, we made a heart. We gave it to people, and they all put it to their hearts, and now she has it inside her,” explains Jeff Cole, Pure-

Hemp’s Director of Sales and Marketing. “It’s all about love.”

Crafted completely from hemp and holding a tiny Planet Earth, Hemp WoMan celebrates the idea that every living thing is connected, and that the magical plant will be humanity’s entryway to a better future. She’s part of Perfect Vision 2020, a global crusade for renewable energy that aims to unite, educate, and establish a world driven by plant-based products and biofuels.

Hemp WoMan is now on a national tour, with planned additions increasing her size until a 60-foot version of the statue is finished in 2020 for the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Then she will be set aflame, symbolizing the end to an economy dominated by fossil fuels. “From this symbolic death and from the ashes,” reads the Perfect Vision mission statement, “a renewed consciousness embracing organic farming, green jobs, and a healthier planet will emerge.” (For more information, visit PerfectVision-2020.com.)

Whatever changes lie in store for the hemp industry, let’s hope the mission remains a constant. May all those dedicated to the plant remember that they are magic too, for daring to risk everything on a still-illegal crop. They believe in a brighter tomorrow, a future where plants and humanity have given the Earth her gift of harmony once again.

Let’s keep that perfect vision in our mind’s eye and make it real. Hemp has a heart—let’s show it that we do too.

J

oy Beckerman: An Interview Citizen Jay Daily

Joy Beckerman is the first woman to be both President of the Hemp Industries Association (HIA) and sit on the Board of Directors for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). The founder of Hemp Ace International, a New York-based consulting, legal, and brokerage firm serving the global community, Joy has been a figurehead in the cannabis movement for over 25 years. An award-winning, fiercely committed activist, she works with lawmakers and regulators to reshape policy at all levels of government.

Honeysuckle caught up with Joy at Kaya Fest in southern California, where she invited us onto the famous Hemp Road Trip bus, entrepreneur Rick Trojan’s educational touring vehicle.

We climbed aboard for a conversation as rapturous as our interviewee’s name.

Tell us about hemp’s most innovative, sustainable uses.

We’re talking about a plant that improves every single industry it touches. Paper, textiles, biocomposites, bioplastics and resins, industrial sealants and coatings, building materials… The game-changer is nanotechnology - the ability to create materials while customizing their atomic structure. We see it incorporated into electronics, telecommunications and so many other products we don’t even realize. Hemp stalk is 77 percent cellulose nanocrystals; these substances have higher strength than glass, aluminum or steel. And while graphite whiskers and carbon nano tubes are stronger than hemp cellulose, the latter is considerably low-cost, nontoxic, widely available and sustainable. Cellulose nanocrystals have excellent potential for automotive parts and conductive composites, but only Canada is exploring that so far.

Hempcrete is a building insulation made from the plant’s woody core. How does it help constructional sustainability?

It’s an ancient building material – a mold, rot, fire and pest-resistant insulation that lasts hundreds of years. It’s reusable or recyclable after the lifecycle of your building is done. A 12 to 18-inch-thick wall of hempcrete and lime, depending on the extremity of your climate, will give you a year-round interior temperature of about 60 degrees Fahrenheit with no heating or cooling system.

That’s with great windows, of course. This is also a tremendous game-changer because now over 50 percent of our landfills annually are consumed with temporary building materials. So not only are we negating that,

and healing that, we’re sequestering carbon because the lime fossilizes over time and hempcrete starts to grab carbon molecules from the air… Now we’re having a smart income home that reduces the need for HVAC systems. Hempcrete is just the gift that keeps on giving on multiple levels. It’s also great for folks who are sensitive to electromagnetic frequency (EMF). We can add graphite mesh [to hempcrete] and make a home completely EMF-free.

What can individual consumers do to support the hemp revolution?

The greatest thing people can do is incorporate hemp into their daily lives – buy hemp, demand it. Make better choices. It’s [how we] show our lawmakers, folks in charge of economic development from local levels all the way to the federal, that we want that supply here in America. We’re choosing health for ourselves and our families… And if we use regenerative agricultural techniques, if we are good stewards of the land, we can replenish the soil. We can reinvigorate the family farm and American farmers can participate in what is now truly a global industrial revolution.

You, like most people in the cannabis community, feel a spiritual connection to the plant. Do you think the plant loves us too?

I feel like we know it intimately, like the plant is in many ways our best friend. I believe that cannabis and humanity are much closer than people think, and I can’t wait for us to get more answers and do more research on what that relationship is. I’m excited to learn those answers.

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HONEY

P O T

Scott Longnecker

SMOKING BUDDHA I was recently asked if I have a spiritual connection with cannabis. An enlightened person would respond, “It is part of nature, and we are part of nature, and as everything is interconnected, it is a part of our nature.”

But as someone who has grown his own herb for about a decade, allowing me at times to put food on the table, to experience the Zen of a garden, and to see the relief cannabis gives to my ailing loved ones, I needed to make sure that I could interpret the spiritual connectedness of this plant outside of myself.

There was one person I needed to talk to: The Smoking Buddha.

The journey to reach the Smoking Buddha can take hours, days, even weeks sometimes depending on the weather. It’s part Apocalypse Now, part arrival at Fantasy Island. After many burnt offerings along the way, I finally climb to the moutaintop, and see him, sitting lotus pose, in the center of my mind.

“Come along if you can” he says, motioning for me to sit before him as he exhales a actual cloud of smoke.

“Hey, Smoking Buddha.”

“Hey, Scott. Did you forget something?”

“What do you mean?” I asked “You were just here an hour ago.” he said, exhaling another cumulonimbus.

“Wow, what a trip! That was, like, five months in human time.”

“That’s what you think. So, what brings you here today? You need some more eternal bud?”

“No, I had some questions about cannabis and spirituality.”

“Oh, here we go…” he said, rolling his eyes and taking a giant toke from a unicorn’s horn.

“Seriously though. I was asked to write about my spiritual connection to cannabis. I’m not sure what to write.”

“You could give them the old ‘It’s part of

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nature, and we’re part of nature…’”

“Yeah, I thought of that...but it’s somewhere between esoteric and cliche. And that’s the plant. But there are going to be a lot of arguments from all different perspectives of society who don’t see smoking it as spiritually connected.”

“Like a key, it unlocks certain receptors in our mind, benefits our bodies. We can achieve oneness with the plant.”

“Okay, but let’s say you eat it or consume it.”

“Like tea? Or coffee? Or vegetables?” he said, leaning over to take a hit off of a rainbow.

“Vegetables?! Surely you can’t compare this with vegetables!?”

“I just did.” he said, exhaling. “Now quit calling me Shirley.”

“But it alters your mind!”

“Everything does. Meditation, food, a bad day, a first kiss, a little puppy dog. Love, loss... all alter us to one degree or another. Everything around us, anything we say or do, or put inside of us, has an effect...whether we choose to recognize it or not. Could you pass me those Fritos?”

“Sure. But no matter how you take it, people are going to argue that it gets you high.”

“Better than being low.... Scott, are you high right now?”

“Yessiree, that’s how I got here.”

“And how do you feel?”

“I feel great.”

“And before you got high?”

“To be honest, a little hung over from my out of town friends visiting, and my foot was hurting from that hike, which I completely forgot about until now…”

“Is that not a good thing?”

“It is, but it’s because I’m high.”

“That word again. What do you mean?”

“You know, like somehow elevated above the pain,” I explained.

“Like meditation, isn’t elevation beyond our body part of spirituality?

But if you were ‘high’ on alcohol?”

“Well, I may be absent of pain... but I would be absent of a lot more than that too. And be worse off tomorrow.”

“And if you were high off of painkillers?”

“Well that’s not their intended use, but I can’t handle them anyway.”

“That’s because they do not work in harmony with the body. All of those things can kill you, while this plant cannot.”

“All of this is true. But they’re going to make the addiction argument,” I replied.

“One could be addicted or obsessed with any substance, thing or activity. It’s not a problem of Golf...it’s the problem of the golfer.”

“Okay, what about the gateway drug thing?”

“Do you know what every heroin addict has in common from their past?”

“What?”

“They all drank milk,” he responded.

“Jesus, you’ve got an answer for everything.”

“Jesus isn’t here right now...but we read the same books.”

“Okay...I’ve got one for you. Children.”

Smoking Buddha pauses. He opens the top of the mountain and takes a giant bong hit. “A child should only be given things that nurture growth and harmony.

So as the mind is still developing until about 25, maybe not the female plant... unless….”

“Unless what? Oh no, not children! People are going to freak out.”

“Why not the children? Especially the children, if they indeed need it. Is it spiritual to deny anyone a medicine that nature provides if they need it?”

“No, it’s not. But kids getting high, Smoking Buddha?”

“I’m not saying that, under normal conditions. But the Male plant will not get them high. Only the females can unlock the mind and alter one’s mood.”

“Kind of like with human species.” I laughed.

“Touché.” he said, as he hollowed out a birch tree and stuffed it with a tonnage of flowers. “I don’t mean

Artwork © Retro, B

to cut our session short, but I do have a whole Comicon group heading my way...but does any of this help with the question of cannabis connecting with you spiritually?”

“Of course it does. Or we would never have been able to have this conversation.”

Smoking Buddha smiled with laughing eyes, and lit up his tree.

“One last question…” I asked, “Can I hit that?”

He chuckles as he exhales a tornado, and looks down at me. “This is Enlightenment Kush, Scott. You can’t handle it yet.” And in a puff of smoke he was gone.

As I woke up to the annoying ‘Bong Bong’ and much too bright Netflix marquis, and saw my joint smoldering in the ashtray, a message was clearly spelled out in its smoke by the Buddha himself. “Yeah, it’s Spiritual.”

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interviews Craig Zaffe

NATURAL MAGIC & YOUR CBD OILS “I never leave home without CBD,” says Craig Zaffe, founder of Your CBD Oils. Known as Long Island’s first organic farmer, Zaffe is also an authority on the history of medical cannabis. His mission is to heal and teach the world about the power of CBD, which he calls the Elixir of Life. Craig shared his passion for planetary wellness, caring for creatures both fleshy and furry, and what new consumers should know about endocannabinoid health.

(Learn more at yourcbdoils.com.)

You’re something of a pioneer in modern organic agriculture.

I’ve always thought educating people was the most important thing. I have a degree in agronomy, the science of soils. I wanted to be a farmer, but [the associated costs were] very expensive. So I had to be an organic gardener in suburbia, and I introduced the first organic farming in New York, the first sustainable landscaping as a way of life.

People want the outdoors to look like the living room. Nature doesn’t work that way. Lawn wants to go into the field, the field wants to go into the forests, the forest wants to go into the woods. It’s unnatural to stop that progression of transformation… My clients want a monoculture - it comes from a false picture of what something is. I’ve always said, “Don’t look at the lawn as only the first two inches of the planet.” I don’t bag the leaves, I don’t rake the forests. I always mulch everything back into the ground. Leave the place better than it is, the fungi and microorganisms. The soil is alive.

How did you get into the cannabis industry?

I’d smoked before, but [in the 1980s] I was exposed to Jack Herer’s book The Emperor Has No Clothes. I wanted to get involved with hemp but the growing was still restricted in New York. [Years later] my real education began when I wanted to get involved in CBDs… I call it the Elixir of Life because we’re all cannabinoid-deficient, and when you replenish your endocannabinoid system with cannabinoids, it’s better for your health. I started the business in September 2015; my goal was to educate people about the Elixir of Life on the website. Sales were secondary.

What’s so dangerous about cannabinoid deficiency?

All life forms have an endocannabinoid system.

It’s the largest regulatory system in our bodies and promotes homeostasis for general health. As we get

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older, our natural production slows down. That’s where health issues come in, and inflammation, and everything else. So you have to turn to phytocannabinoids, sources like marijuana which has THC and CBDs. Cannabis sativa L naturally has only .3% THC, and is a neutralizer for it. So if people are taking too much THC and they take CBDs from hemp, it turns off the CB1 receptor for the THC, slows people’s anxieties. The beautiful part about hemp is you get the medical benefits without [psychoactive] effects. By incorporating CBDs in your lifestyle, you’re restoring what your body naturally makes. I think everybody should be on CBDs, especially with the state of our planet.

That includes our pets. You offer many treatments for animal pain relief.

Dogs and cats can’t tolerate THC. They can tolerate CBDs, which work wonderfully… A few clients have epileptic dogs, and we just give them human-grade dosing, based on weight, with tremendous results.

We have Calm and Quiet for high-anxiety dogs, Up and Movin’ [for energy], Joint Health, and Stop the Itch if they have skin conditions. I’m really branching out to educate the veterinarians and just dropped off a few dog biscuits that we’re trying now. I think the pet CBD market will be greater than the human one, because people spend more money on their pets.

I speak from experience, because we had a miniature pinscher called Spunky Girl who had a horrible heart condition where she was on a few hundred dollars’ worth of opiates a month for two years. She had dementia, went blind in one eye, and wasn’t doing well. I had just started the CBD business, so we got her on the CBDs and after a few months we got her completely off the opiates. She was running around, had an appetite like a horse. She was still blind, but she had such quality of life until the end.

Now our dog Redboy [who has anxiety] gets his medicine the same way.

What can we expect from Your CBD Oils?

You’ll get the very best products made in the United States, with the best terpene profile and land. I’m getting my own Your CBD Oils label, sourcing 100% organic CBD from farms in Colorado and West Virginia.

It’s domestic and we want to support our fellow hemp farmers.

Also, depending on what company I’m sourcing from, our products [are made with] different extraction types.

Some, like Natural Xtract, use CO2 extraction; another, CBD RX, uses lipid and ethanol extraction. Enerhealth uses an old alchemy method, spagyrics where they do a slow, low-temperature grapeseed-comparable extraction. Then they fill the vat and take the remaining plant material, burn it, and combine the elements back together. So I carry [products from] all three methods.

It’s important to treat people with respect. When people are not above-board, they do a disservice to such a beneficial plant.

I’ve found a lot of people who had to choose between buying food or medicine, so I gave them family discounts or even for free. I’ve talked to mothers with autistic children, people whose relatives have Stage Four cancer.

When a mother calls you up and says, “I need it for my children…” The results of CBDs on autistic children are amazing. I’m partnering with four holistic health centers to do an Autism Community Walk at Belmont Lake State Park on October 20th.

I also encourage the caregivers to be on CBDs. They’re so busy taking care of their loved ones that no one is taking care of them. I think it’s just wonderful, working with CBDs and the plant. It’s a lifelong dream to heal and educate people on this planet.

How should consumers properly educate themselves?

Look for someone who will take the time to have that conversation before they even try to sell you anything.

MEDICINAL TOPICAL DAILY yourcbdoils.com (631) 697 - 0296 info@yourcbdoils.com

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LEAF PACKAGING

®

UNBOXING: INSIDE LEAF PACKAGING Ending Prohibition in the cannabis industry means thinking outside the box… or, in some cases, thinking harder about the box itself. Enter Leaf Packaging, a new venture that combines decades of containment ingenuity with cannabis savvy and sustainable education. It’s an exciting team-up between Alan Terner, president of the distinguished Andler Packaging Company, and David Kowalsky, founder of Cannabis Network Media. Together they’re setting out to provide fiscally sound solutions, socially responsible alternatives, and expertise in efficiency to the rapidly-emerging cannabis industry.

“We’re at the point where almost everything can be 100% eco-friendly because of industry standards,” says Kowalsky. “A product’s packaging should instantly communicate the overall message of the brand. We have the opportunity here to help guide sustainability directives of companies just beginning to identify their missions. Especially in cannabis, a big part of that should be about environmental health.”

Leaf aims to solve the biggest problems in cannabis through a multidimensional approach: Customize, re-create, and educate. Terner and Kowalsky, guided by over 100 years of packaging expertise from Terner’s team at Andler, are tackling the issue of waste that’s caused enormous upheaval in the legal market (especially in Colorado and California). Frequently-changing compliance codes force cannabis companies to discard huge amounts of paper, plastic, and glass packaging that end up in our landfills and oceans. We don’t often stop to consider what happens to these materials once we’ve opened our boxes, popped the tops on plastic vials, or unscrewed our glass jars—but those thoughts provide the best path to planetary wellness.

For Terner, cannabis is the next logical frontier for American business. As a third-generation bottle distributor, he recalls family stories of his grandfather selling bottles to bootleggers in the 1920s, eventually profiting so greatly from then-illegal activity that his father

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could attend summer camp during the Great Depression. He believes the emerging cannabis industry will similarly shape modern history: “Here we are in 2018 and a Prohibition of another sort is beginning to end…

Cannabis and hemp are being integrated back into our societies. Once this goes national, there’s going to be regulation, rules of standardization. It’s going to affect everyone’s needs for packaging in a unique way.”

“We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel, we’re trying to streamline it,” Kowalsky adds. “We’re going to educate people about things they don’t realize. Like you might be getting a cheaper price on your extract container when you’re buying it from China, but that glass can have contaminants and a leaching effect. Leaf is going to be consumer-driven and politically-driven. We’ll consult with states on their packaging needs and offer services that are either free or severely discounted to make sure existing and newly emerging states are going to be focused – not only on the safety and security of the children, but also on the new sustainability impact that the cannabis industry is having on our local and global environments.”

Andler’s impressive history of sustainable packaging is carrying over to Leaf’s directives. In supplying containers for everything from pharmaceuticals to cosmetics to novelties and food and beverage products, the company has pioneered the use of repurposed materials and acquired many ecological innovators as clients. Terner himself even convinced the National Association of Container Distributors to create an environmental award to recognize such achievements, presenting the very first to one of his longtime customers who collaborated with Rubbermaid on special initiatives to recycle pre-recycled plastic.

Leaf will take its parent’s cue with packaging made from glass, upcycled resin, reconstituted mushroom fungus (in place of plastic foam) and other plant-based materials.

Hemp board, unfortunately, remains too expensive to use in most cases, but the list of alternatives to cardboard and plastic is expanding.

“We’re custom tailors,” Terner states with a jovial laugh. “We can encourage customers to do anything with their packaging… We want to know what’s your culture, what’s your marketing, what’s your branding?

That’s my expertise, helping a customer build their brand through their packaging. Here’s an analogy: I was a jock in my twenties and could never buy clothes off the rack; they would never fit me. I had to go to a custom tailor. It was more expensive, but the stuff fit me beautifully and I could always wear them. The value of the custom fit was much greater than the price I paid and confidence that the package I was presenting was the very best. That’s what Leaf is for the packaging industry.”

Not only will Leaf be customizing its products for each client’s needs, it will also be the first company of its kind working with state and local governments to craft sustainability guidelines for cannabis businesses.

“The environmental issues write themselves,” Kowalsky notes, “because if you have codes where you’re needing to put plastic into plastic, then it’s something we have to call attention to in the marijuana industry [regarding] sustainability. One of the goals with Leaf Packaging is that we focus on a sustainable and efficient packaging capacity, as well as [function in] an advisory capacity with state regulatory and commissioning organizations.”

They’ll begin in the 31 states (and Washington, D.C.) where medical cannabis is already legal, using the template of a state-regulated compliance plan and adapting it into a sustainability plan. The emphasis will be on meeting child safety concerns and environmental standards in packaging that local regulators uphold for every other industry, and educating cannabis business owners on how to refine their products and branding accordingly.

“In the pharmaceutical business, we sell CRCs (child-resistant closures),” Terner explains. “This is a staple in the industry. There’s a reason why they’re there. Cannabis is so new and open and unorganized because it’s state by state. In my home state of Maryland, the laws [for cannabis packaging] read ‘Child-resistant where applicable.’

They can’t even decide what’s applicable! I talk to my

customers and say, ‘You need a CRC package,’ but they think they don’t. The prices of the end product easily support quality packaging… another 40 cents to make it child-resistant is insignificant. As soon as it becomes federally legal, everything will become child-resistant and everyone who’s doing it now doesn’t have to make a change. Similarly, you want to be green-conscious. Those who are will be ahead of the game.”

According to Kowalsky, who has had years of experience as a political lobbyist, cannabis entrepreneur, and sustainable pioneer in the adult novelties industry, federal legalization is inevitable. It’s only the path to success that’s not guaranteed.

He advises cannabis business owners to think about it this way: “People have said, ‘How are you going to compete against the Wal-Marts of weed?’ If we’re going to set a standard in packaging or extraction or growing —any standard, cultivation, agricultural, pesticide, etc —across the board, if we’re the first to do it, the bigger companies will have to follow the same guidelines that we do. So if we’re establishing those guidelines and parameters and we can work with government organizations that set a national standard, we can encourage people in the industry to do their due diligence. By setting a certain standard, we can’t slay the giant, but we can set up the giant to provide a more ecological and environmentally-friendly footstep.”

If we want cannabis to be taken seriously as an industry, we must encourage companies to get compliant and sustainably aware so those footsteps are already blazing the trail. Of course we’re still in an era where caring more equals a higher price, but isn’t the cost small compared to the good it can do? Our world can’t afford any more waste.

So listen to your packaging experts and turn over a new Leaf. Let them into your marketing and build your business’s relationship with the state. Trust the custom tailors to do what they’ve spent a lifetime crafting. After all, big surprises come in very unassuming packages.

Sometimes, they can even change history.

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Kymberly Byrnes

SMOKE WEED, SAVE THE EARTH One percent of the world’s electricity is used to grow marijuana. While that may not sound like a lot, it equates to having 3 million extra cars on the road, polluting the environment and driving up the cost of cannabis cultivation. That’s why husband-and-wife duo Jesse Peters and Kate Guptill, owners of Oregon-based Eco Firma Farms, decided to do things differently. Dubbed “LEED for weed,” by Rolling Stone, the company’s mission is to become Oregon’s first carbon-neutral cannabis farm.

Guptill, who formerly worked for the Oregon Department of Justice, says, “I started with a small grow in my basement making sure to change my shoes after trimming before I went to my day job—I imagine other women in the industry began similarly. Now, this is my day job, with tons of support from my former coworkers. Every day is a new lesson in how to contribute—to the company, to the industry, to women. I believe in Eco Firma’s mission because it’s the right thing to do, for any company, that’s why we created it. It’s a constant challenge for us, but one we feel good about fighting to attain and I believe in it because I am proud to support it.”

Peters, a Marine Corps veteran who achieved the rank of Gunnery Sergeant and has been instrumental in crafting cultivation laws throughout his state (he’s a founding member of the Oregon Cannabis PAC and the Oregon Cannabis Association), shared his thoughts at length with us. The proud Oregon native—born and raised—had much to say about the environment, new strains, and the evolution of the eco-friendly marijuana movement.

Moonrise © Robin Eisenberg

What was your first experience with cannabis?

Oh, that’s super funny… I sold my first cannabis before I ever consumed it.

Really? How did that happen?

Someone I went to high school with came up to me when I was 15 and said she got a bag but she didn’t know what do with it. She assumed I did. I was, of course, trying to be cool, so I was like, “Oh yeah, totally.”

My parents always smoked marijuana. The day they brought me home from the hospital, they were arrested for five pounds that were found under my crib!

So it’s been a part of my life since I grew up. Like all teenagers who had parents that smoked, I would steal a little from my parents’ stash. I bought my first bag at 16. But it only took one before I realized I could spend $40 on a bag, or I could spend $260 on an ounce, weigh the bags out, and beat my competition. Then,

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everyone will buy from me, and I’ll get a free bag.

So your entrepreneurship skills started at a young age.

When did you start growing your own?

In 2000, my wife and I decided to start growing.

We got one of those old-school black boxes that you could put in a closet. We grew one hydroponic round and got two or three ounces out of it. And that’s all it took for us to be like, Yep, let’s remodel the basement… We [did that], and then one basement turned into renting houses with basements, which turned into buying houses with basements, which turned into renting and building out shops. After a few years, we realized this was getting pretty advanced.

How did it evolve into what Eco Firma is today?

It was around 2006 when we first knew that marijuana would be legal in our lifetime, and we needed to start our business. We started separating strains, and by 2011, we came up with a name for the company as it is today.

Artichoke Sunset © Robin Eisenberg

You use wind power for your cultivation. How did that come to be?

Here in Oregon, it was as simple as looking on my power bill and seeing that there’s a spot that has a phone number with “Would you like to know more about green energy?” And I thought Yeah, sure!

So we called the number and found out that based on our usage, we qualified for 100 percent wind power. It costs an extra $60 a month, but it’s worth it to be carbon neutral on the electrical footprint.

It’s been three years now. In 2015, Portland General Electric recognized our company for Environmental Leadership in Support of Renewable Power, and the CEO of Portland General Electric gave us an award.

In addition to wind power, all of our lights are LED. And we have about 300 lights.

If LED lights help indoor cannabis growers with energy efficiency and saving cash, why aren’t more cultivators switching over?

First, it’s the cost. LED lights are expensive. They’re expensive to buy initially, and a lot of growers have been bootstrapping themselves all the way up. Even five years ago LED lights weren’t up to par. So it’s still fairly new. Plus, not everyone has access. I’m in

Oregon, so we have access to clean wind and renewable power. We also have access to the Energy Trust of Oregon, which will give us grant money to buy new equipment and upgrade old equipment. We’ve gotten over $100,000 in grants from the Energy Trust. We buy our equipment and they give us money back. So, if you don’t have a program like that in your state, then you’ve run into another part that’s really prohibitive, and it makes it really difficult to be sustainable.

Do you also use solar?

Actually, in late summer or early fall we have plans to put up a 248,000-watt solar array on our roof. It’s going to drastically decrease our power bill.

Why is being eco-friendly important to you?

There’s a massive amount of CO2 that’s produced for every pound of cannabis. It’s not that bad when you’re producing a small quantity in your basement.

But for us, looking at moving forward with large quantity cultivation to scale, I could not look myself in the mirror and think, Oh I’m just going to destroy the planet for profit just like everybody else and try to sleep at night. It just wasn’t an option.

*This interview has been edited and condensed. For more information on Eco Firma Farms, visit ecofirmafarms.com. honeysucklemag.com • HONEYSUCKLE MAGAZINE |

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I Love You, MaryJane You see him, “the dude with the bookbag,” and though he’s actually the founder of Mary Janes Oil NYC, he might as well be Spider-Man. So quickly does Javier scoot around Lower Manhattan with his pop-up supply of fine vapes (CBD and THC), gummies, and candy, you have to check his Instagram (@maryjane_nyc_) for clues as to his location. Once he’s procured you a treat—or much-needed medicine—he slips off to aid more friends in need.

But Javier’s mission extends good karma beyond that; his ultimate business plan provides for sustainable, ethically responsible access to marijuana and hemp products for citizens of the United States and the Dominican Republic alike. Sitting atop his childhood building on the Lower East Side, he explains that, despite being a native New Yorker, he’s always felt an affinity for the Caribbean nation from which his parents immigrated. But while he regularly visited there growing up, Javier says it wasn’t until just a few years ago that he realized how the cannabis industry could bolster both economies.

“Right now the United States is importing hemp from China, on the other side of the world,” he notes. “The Dominican Republic is just three hours by plane…

My family owns a big plot of land [there]. My idea is to turn that into a hemp farm and use as much as we could to help people – the oil for cooking and healing, the stalks for fibers… A lot of factories are in the Dominican Republic and school uniforms are made there. [When they’re made from hemp], that material lasts longer. It’s not susceptible to moths 72 | HONEYSUCKLE MAGAZINE • honeysucklemag.com

and deterioration as cotton is, or as thirsty for water.”

Cannabis is still a nascent industry in the Dominican Republic; Javier admits that most lawmakers there, like in the U.S., don’t understand the difference between hemp and marijuana. They still outlaw all forms of the plant, so Javier knows it will take time, money, and the right connections to make his dream a reality.

“I think cannabis has great potential to lift that country out of poverty,” he asserts. “They have some of the brightest minds, best doctors, and medical schools…

But they could be using the plant to help people.”

His next plan was to own a dispensary in Manhattan, but the estimated expense and New York’s licensing limits nixed that, so instead Javier turned to his current operation. Clients reach him first through Instagram, meeting later in person anywhere below 59th Street, though he has been known to ship to a select few out-of-state customers. He tests every product before deciding to add it to his inventory, and carefully sources the manufacturers and brands he markets. Many are mom-and-pop companies (including Eureka Vapor and Honeycomb) which take an artisan approach to their output, crafting each oil, gummy, or accessory with love.

It’s a sentiment Javier knows well: “Before I heard the [Ziggy Marley] song, I told people, ‘Love is my religion.’ I didn’t smoke weed until I was 21. I grew up in church and… when I got disillusioned, I decided to focus on love Photo © Retro, B

and kindness.”

He’s also extremely committed to the environment, frequently posting recycling PSAs on social media and seeking out partner brands that use sustainable packaging. Javier even wears a repurposed soda tab necklace to symbolize that nothing should go to waste. As we treat each other, so must we behave toward our planet and plants.

“We need to start looking at cannabis as medicine, not a drug,” he urges. “While most of my clients are recreational, there are several who need it because they’re in a lot of pain. At the end of the day, those are the people that I do it for.”

So the next time you need a pick-me-up in New York City, just call your socially-conscious neighborhood superhero.

Dadly Filius

CHAMPION IN THE MIDST tributes CBD products from industry giant Green Roads Wellness) and agricultural company Green Sustainable Strong. A featured speaker at countless international conferences, she also hosts the popular Cannabis Life Radio program with Green Roads CEO Arby Barroso; together, they advocate for patients, especially veterans, to get access to the medicine they need.

The daughter of Jamaican parents, Scheril often works in Rastafarian communities and holds a deep respect for their traditions: “I’m not Rastafarian, but I appreciate that they’ve always been at the forefront, and taken the blows, for the stigma in cannabis.”

Among Scheril’s many achievements is her tireless encouragement to professionals from other industries, that they utilize their passions to profit in the cannabis and hemp sectors’ wild frontiers.

“In the Gold Rush, it was the people who sold the picks and shovels that made the most money,” she laughs.

So if you’re ready to shake things up, obtain licenses, and get authentic education, you can count on Scheril Murray Powell to help you see the light.

Scheril Murray Powell; photo courtesy of Profil Mgmt

If you’re a patient requiring medical cannabis or a businessperson curious about the industry, you need to meet Scheril Murray Powell, Esquire. The Florida-based attorney is a true champion of diversity for corporations and farmers alike; as General Counsel to Minorities for Medical Marijuana, she’s coined the motto “Conquering, collaboration, cooperation” to describe the path to professional success. Scheril wants people to overcome their fears, recognize their best skill sets, and work together for universal justice.

“When you look at African-American ownership [in cannabis businesses], it’s 1 percent,” Scheril says.

“When you look at incarceration records, people of color are the majority. That does not make sense in this space and it needs to be remedied.”

She proposes a diversity plan that would promote leadership and employment across the board, not only for African-Americans but for women, people with disabilities, and those from all ethnic backgrounds seeking representation. Meanwhile, the multitalented Scheril is a super cannapreneur herself, owner of the staffing agency Canna Headhunters, co-owner of SMP Distributors (which dis-

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David Feldman

BLUNT LEGAL TALK: THE GREAT NORTH What Canada’s Legalization Means for US Canada’s Senate has voted to legalize adult use of cannabis and start what’s expected to be a multi-billion dollar market for the country’s roughly 36 million people. California, which passed a similar law in January 2018, has 38 million, but hey, still pretty impressive. Until now, only Uruguay had legalized pot nationwide, in 2013 (although about 30 countries have officially approved medical marijuana). So this is a very big deal.

Although it has been made legal for medicinal purposes since 2001, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau campaigned on a platform to legalize cannabis for recreational use. The bill for nationwide adult-use access, known as the Cannabis Act, had been introduced in the House of Commons on April 13, 2017 and passed there in November. On June 7, 2018, the Canadian Senate approved the act) with a number of amendments, and its final vote on the matter, on June 20, solidified the historic legislation with a vote of 5229. Policy implementation is expected to begin in October.

Some of the bill’s more controversial aspects include deciding whether people would be allowed to grow cannabis at home, what advertising restrictions should apply and what powers will be left to the local provinces. There is also a desire to ensure that cannabis is not provided to minors (other than for medical purposes) and that impaired driving be punished harshly.

As a result, many expect substantial economic benefit to our northern neighbors, including an increase in canna-tourism. Additionally, in most places the legal age to buy and possess cannabis will be 19, versus in the US where it will apparently remain at 21. Stocks of publicly held (legal) Canadian cannabis producers and sellers have been volatile but are mostly going up in value. One Canadian company, Cronos, even went public on the Nasdaq recently.

What does all this mean for us in the US? Quite a bit.

First, there will be more pressure on Congress and the President to pass legislation to move towards legalization. If they fail to do so, they risk losing substantial sales and tax dollars to our neighbors. To make sure this doesn’t happen, the President promised to support “states’ rights”, and a bill to do so has recently been introduced in both the US House and Senate.

The most recent development in the cannabis industry is the entry of the pharmaceutical, tobacco and alcohol industries. They clearly see legal cannabis as a threat to their business and have commenced gearing up to enter the space, initially in Canada and eventually the US market. Constellation Brands, a spirits company, recently invested $190 million in Canopy Floating Island Forests © Robin Eisenberg

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Growth, a public Canadian medical cannabis company. The advantage of starting up North is that when they do come to the US, they will have had some experience getting into the marketplace, making the process easier and faster. I’ve personally seen more and more “spies” from Big Pharma at cannabis conferences of late. They claim they are there to consider getting personally, not necessarily professionally, involved in the industry… but still.

These big companies could also create a real threat to the many small entrepreneurial operators in the industry. For example, when big-box stores like Home Depot came on the scene, many local hardware stores were crushed. The same could happen to small-time growers and distributors, as the big companies are likely to buy up the largest multi-state operators and brands rather than taking the time to purchase those with one or two grow facilities or dispensaries.

The other thing to get ready for: major stock exchanges like the NYSE and Nasdaq listing the US cannabis companies once states are permitted to operate without risk of federal enforcement. Although capital has not been very difficult to find here, institutional investors have not yet made any financial commitments while the space remains federally illegal. In addition, only a small handful of investment banking firms have been willing to raise money for any US cannabis company, whether private or public.

Once that changes, and everyone from Goldman Sachs to large private equity firms can participate, most expect a dramatic increase in funding for the industry.

In Canada, on the other hand, we have seen an explosion of capital formation for their federally legal cannabis players. Large operators such as Med Men went public in Canada, believing fundraising would be easier there.

Presumably this temptation will be substantially lessened once major exchanges list US companies.

So while Canada gets ready to change everything from A to Zed, we watch and wait and plan.

Roz McCarthy; photo courtesy of Minorities for Medical Marijuana

FOUNDATION OF GOOD GROWTH: Minorities for Medical Marijuana

Roz McCarthy always knew that cannabis could make things better.

Growing up in Florida, her dad had glaucoma, and her mom would say that smoking a joint could probably clear it right up! Although both of her parents passed away, and her teenage son struggles with sickle cell disease (with cannabis functioning as a pain and inflammation manager), Roz approaches life with an amazingly positive view, mirrored in the aims of the foundation she started, Minorities for Medical Marijuana (M4MM, minorities4medicalmarijuana.org).

Arriving to the industry with a business background in pharmaceuticals, she realized she needed to “come out of the cannabis closet” to embrace opportunities and communicate the underrepresentation of minorities in various job spaces. M4MM’s mission sets out to change that; under Roz’s direction, the organization provides advocacy, outreach, research, and training as it relates to the business, social reform, public policy, and health / wellness in the cannabis industry.

Roz’s goal is “to fight against negative stereotypes, especially in African American communities. The ACLU’s research shows that African Americans are four times more

likely to be stopped, arrested, and charged for marijuana related offenses than other groups.”

By focusing the foundation around four major pillars of Public Policy, Health/ Wellness, Business and Workforce Development, and Social Reform, M4MM outlines a structured plan for minority leadership in cannabis. Individuals looking to enter the industry can gain support through the organization’s programming, one of the most successful being “Ready, Set, Grow,” which allows students to find and obtain internships and apprenticeships. This year, M4MM placed three Florida students in internships for cannabis-related businesses. They learn fields such as retail, delivery and distribution services, logistics, research, and health/wellness.

Another program is “HerbanPharm,” which includes discussion groups and information on hemp farming, processing and licensing, and education of new farmers.

“LatinX” is the Hispanic outreach area of the foundation, while the “Vets with Voices” program connects veterans in need of medication, providing ongoing support and education to engage them in the developing industry. Final-

ly, the city-specific “Project Clean Slate,” allocates job resources and wraparound services – including better pre-screening and preparation – to empower individuals who have a minor charge that could potentially be expunged.

A new endeavor by M4MM is “BrueJobs.com,” with the goal of “being true to black and brown people who want to get into the industry,” Roz says. “This job platform is for diverse candidates wanting to transfer their skill set to cannabis.”

Built off the “Ready, Set, Grow” program, Brue will have three components: an available jobs database to search and apply through, a supply and diversity component, where small businesses owned by minorities, women, veterans or the disabled can link up with large cannabis companies trying to outsource contracts. Thirdly, there is a People Pipeline connection for internships via “Ready Set Grow.”

One of the greatest accomplishments for Roz and M4MM was to craft a diversity requirement to medical marijuana’s legalization in Florida, stipulating that women, people of color, and veterans all have greater access to opportunities in the industry. This will enable them to become a priority focus of licenseholders that can hire and work with these individuals. The important amendment was eventually written into law, a huge win for M4MM. The best part is that upcoming legislation in places like New Jersey, Maine, and other states can utilize this requirement as a template for their legislation as well.

It’s this kind of work that placed Roz squarely on the list of High Times’ Top 100 Most Influential People in cannabis! So check out the website above, sign up for the newsletter, and continue the great work that Roz has started! honeysucklemag.com • HONEYSUCKLE MAGAZINE | 75

Follow the Munkey.

It’s a High-End Lifestyle. @happymunkeygoodies

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happymunkey420.com

Skeleton Love © Robin Eisenberg

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EX ECOLOGY

ANNIE SPRINKLE AND THE ECOSEXUAL MANIFESTO April Hall

When people think of sex work, they may conjure images of dirty mattresses in dark basements, lecherous pimps and producers and damaged young women forced to make decisions against their best interests.

But then there’s Annie Sprinkle, a brightly shining spirit that has celebrated sexuality for over four decades.

From adult film, prostitution, and stripping to journalism, research, and art, Annie brings joy, love, and curiosity to sex and sensuality.

In recent years, Annie has devoted herself to environmental art from what she and her partner Beth Stephens call an “Ecosexual” perspective. Their Ecosex Manifesto that follows is an explanation, a rallying cry and declaration of love—for the Earth, and for each other. (i) We are the Ecosexuals. The Earth is our lover.

We are madly, passionately, and fiercely in love, and we are grateful for this relationship each and every day. In order to create a more mutual and sustainable relationship with the Earth, we collaborate with nature. We treat the Earth with kindness, respect, and affection.

(ii) We make love with the Earth. We are aquaphiles, teraphiles, pyrophiles and aerophiles. We shamelessly hug trees, massage the Earth with our feet, and talk erotically to plants. We are skinny dippers, sun worshippers, and stargazers. We caress rocks, are pleasured by waterfalls, and admire the Earth’s curves often. We make love with the Earth through our senses. We celebrate our E-Spots.

We are very dirty. (iii) We are a rapidly growing global community of Ecosexuals. This community includes artists, academics, sex workers, sexologists, healers, environmental activists, nature fetishists, gardeners, businesspeople, therapists, lawyers, peace activists, eco-feminists, scientists, educators, (r) evolutionaries, critters, and other entities from diverse walks of life. Some of us are SexEcologists, researching and exploring the places where sexology and ecology intersect in our culture. As consumers we aim to buy less. When we must, we buy green, organic, and local. Whether on farms, at sea, in the woods, or in small Photo © Julian Cash

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towns or large cities, we connect and empathize with nature.

(iv) We are Ecosex activists. We will save the mountains, waters, and skies by any means necessary, especially through love, joy, and our powers of seduction.

We will stop the rape, abuse, and poisoning of the Earth.

We do not condone the use of violence, although we recognize that some Ecosexuals may choose to fight those most guilty for destroying the Earth with public disobedience, anarchist and radical environmental activist strategies. We embrace the revolutionary tactics of art, music, poetry, humor, and sex. We work and play tirelessly for Earth justice and global peace. Bombs hurt. (v) Ecosexual is an identity. For some of us being Ecosexual is our primary (sexual) identity, whereas for others it is not.

Ecosexuals can be GLBTQI, heterosexual, asexual, and/or Other. We invite and encourage Ecosexuals to come out. We are everywhere. We are polymorphous and pollen-amorous. We educate people about ecosex culture, community and practices. We hold these truths to be self-evident; that we are all part of, not separate from, nature. Thus all sex is ecosex.

(vi) The Ecosex Pledge.

I promise to love, honor and cherish you, Earth, until death brings us closer together forever.

ex Ecos a L Viva lucion!

Revo us.

Join rinkle M. Sp hens e i n An . Step M h t Be

Elizabeth Sackler writes in the foreword, “This book may stand an important test of time as a historic (I prefer “herstoric”) marker... this book is a vitally important statement.”

INCLUDES ARTISTS

Thunderhead © Michelle Manley

Aleah Chapin Ana Teresa Fernández Barbara Segal Bharti Kher Boo Saville Caroline O’Donnell Chitra Ganesh E. V. Day Elizabeth Turk Eugenia Loli Firelei Báez Frances Goodman Jade Doskow Judy Chicago Judy Rifka Kara Walker Karen Jerzyk Kate Gilmore Kay Rosen Lin Tianmiao Marilyn Minter Maya Lin Melissa Murray Michele Oka Doner

Michele Pred Mickalene Thomas Nalini Malani Natalie Frank Page Turner Patricia Piccinini Portia Munson Rania Matar Sandy Skoglund Sara Cwynar Sara Ludy Shahzia Sikander Shirin Neshat Stephanie Hirsch Susan T. Rodriguez Susanna Coffey Tara Donovan Tayeba Begum Lipi Teresita Fernández Tricia Middleton Vadis Turner Val Britton Yael Kanarek Yeon Jin Kim

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Finding Sustainability in a

TINY

Nick Lioudis

Crooked River © Keith Tiszenkle

n the summer of 2017, I drove north to Waterford, Maine in search of seclusion away from the claustrophobia of New York. As my compact rental car took a sharp left down a dark, winding dirt road, I began to consider the horror movie implications of my decision until I reached my destination—no more than 400 square feet of structural sanctuary. It was a tiny house, a marvel of architecture adapted over centuries, yet has only recently infiltrated television, Instagram and evidently, my perspective on what it means to be sustainable.

The qualifications for being considered a “tiny house” are fairly uncomplicated. It should be a fully functional home, only significantly smaller, and as a product of its limited space, built more efficiently than its traditional counterparts. Some have electricity and plumbing, but purists may scoff at that luxury. My air conditioning came in the form of free shade offered by the surrounding forest and misty breezes coming off the nearby Crooked River.

Arguably the greatest feature was that which could

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not be seen. In my home, there was no wasted space.

I could stand in the living room, kitchen and bedroom all at once. Stairs that led up to a loft bed doubled as shelves for storing books or small appliances. The bed lifted to reveal a compartment for clothing and linens.

It was three days of solitary bliss, and ultimately gave me the higher level of emotional grounding I needed.

Yet, it also made me question the prevailing concept of sustainability as not only a focus on energy usage ratings and carbon emissions, each of which matter tremendously, but its greater ties to our humanity, a “Reiki soup for the soul” ideology.

At first, the idea of finding any deeper meaning in the form of a wood-planked box felt irrational, but it became more logical the longer I stayed. Being there, I could somehow transcend time; work, current events and politics didn’t matter and I was able to find stability by stripping away its perceived conventions.

Ryan Gosling proved in Lars and the Real Girl that nothing good can come of loving an inanimate object, but I was enamored with this house, its gray roof and

Tiny Hemp House © Ben Wright

green door surrounded by accents of yellow-orange trim, all because of what it represented—an elusive, sustained feeling of solace.

Love makes you do crazy things, like venture down an Internet rabbit hole uncovering the origins of the tiny house phenomenon and its roots in emotional sustainability.

Tiny houses are not only the social media-fueled trend we know them as today, but rather a multi-decade movement.

A ridiculously abbreviated history is that during the 1980s people of all backgrounds, arguably inspired by the re-emergence of Henry David Thoreau’s poignant Walden, fled to nature to build their own version of off-the-grid serenity. Their motivations were no different than mine—a nagging sense of static that only abrupt change could remedy.

Lester Walker’s 1987 book, Tiny

Houses: Or How to Get Away From It All, captured those emotions through its author’s relationship with these structures.

The U.S. housing crisis of the late 2000s only strengthened Walker’s views, as those who lost everything were suddenly asked to recalibrate their definition of “home.” An energy-consuming status symbol was no longer the endgame; it was an about-face with the significant reality that materialism can be both fragile and fleeting. Instead, people wanted a space where they could reconnect internally and with nature.

Through the publication of the Tiny House Blog, founded by Kent Griswold, followed by scores of other true believers, a theme emerged: Tiny houses meant that we didn’t have to imagine an unaffordable escape “down the line,” that we

could create our own wherever and whenever we wanted.

Yes, I may have only spent a few nights at Crooked River, but I don’t think I’m overstating its significance for me and others as a spiritual awakening. It also made me appreciate Thoreau and Walker’s rationale for the self-realizations that can be found by reconnecting with nature.

Another way to describe it is that my tiny house experience offered the less talked about form of sustainability—inner peace. It gave me the emotional freedom I knew I always needed, but could not clearly grasp, and the best part was that it didn’t have to come as the expense of overextending my environment, or myself.

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Arielle Toelke

The Future of Fashion Brands that are changing and challenging the industry standard

Every time a purchase is made, it has an ethical, economical, social and environmental impact. By choosing what and where to buy, you are choosing the standard of how, with what materials, and where each item is manufactured.

Many brands produce their clothing using harmful chemical dyes, non-recycled materials, unethical labor and wasteful manufacturing. While this results in lower costs to the consumer, it also means the continued utilization of these destructive practices. Breaking this cycle completely is unrealistic, but it is possible to buy fewer, higher-quality clothes from brands using a range of sustainable practices and ethical manufacturing to change the standard for how and where clothes are made.

in the Renew program.

The third category is where the company pushes the boundaries of upcycling. Instead of discarding damaged and stained clothing, they refashion them into completely new styles with high-quality materials meant to last. This keeps the textiles out of landfills, because they believe that their waste is their responsibility, and puts Eileen Fisher at the forefront of fashion.

Patagonia

Eileen Fisher Renew

Eileen Fisher is at the helm with its Eileen Fisher Renew and Vision 2020 initiatives. The latter’s goal is to have a circular economy—a system that’s sustainable, fair and innovative with regard to the manufacturing, sourcing, resources and livelihoods of the people that make their clothes—by the year 2020.

Meanwhile, Eileen Fisher Renew is a take-back program that pays the donor in exchange for their worn clothes which are then sorted into three categories: good condition, immediately re-sellable; slightly worn (maybe a stain here and there); and irreparably damaged. In the first category, the pieces are cleaned and resold as vintage at a much lower cost. Items in the second category are given new life with mending and natural dyes provided by the powerhouse Botanical Colors, a partner 82 | HONEYSUCKLE MAGAZINE • honeysucklemag.com

Patagonia’s environmental efforts take them far beyond the average company. On a consumer level, they offer incredible customer service. Clothes are guaranteed for life and repairs are free.

Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia’s founder, does not consider himself a businessman, a humble statement from a man who has grown a global enterprise. Instead he feels an innate sense of responsibility to help, inspire and implement solutions for the greater good of the environment.

For over 30 years, 1 percent of every sale of Patagonia merchandise has been donated to diverse grassroots organizations such as Waterkeeper Alliance, which unifies a global effort against water pollution, and the New York-based Cafeteria Culture, an educational coalition working to eliminate the use of styrofoam and achieve zero-waste environments in schools. Chouinard has also started initiatives such as the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, which holds its member companies to better environmental manufacturing standards.

In 2013, Patagonia launched an internal venture capital fund, $20 Million and Change, now called Tin Shed Ventures, with the purpose of investing in any grassroots and like-minded companies seeking to create responsible solutions for

planetary wellness. Areas they fund include organizations focused on building renewable energy infrastructure, practicing regenerative organic agriculture, conserving water, diverting waste, and producing sustainable materials.

Email info@patagoniaworks.com. for an application and information. To get involved with the grassroots activists in your community, contact patagonia.com/ actionworks/

G-Star RAW G-Star RAW is “future-proofing denim” through their continuing innovations, from manufacturing to ethical labor, a commitment which has earned them Cradle to Cradle (C2C) certification, the gold medal in sustainability.

The Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute brings awareness and education to manufacturers to promote environmental advancements and effect change within the supply chain, materials, fabrication, labor and beyond.

This includes strict requirements of transparency, continuing innovation and sustainability of each company.

G-Star Raw doesn’t just use environmentally safe materials; they also want to lessen their overall energy footprint. By using responsibly-sourced labels and nontoxic buttons, their jeans are 98 percent recyclable.

They have also invented new formulas for their indigo dye, one of which contains no salts and 70 percent fewer chemicals, so the water used to color their jeans does less environmental harm when it goes back into the waterways. Their organic cotton contains no chemicals or pesticides and requires 91 percent less water to produce.

The remainder returns to the earth clean and the cotton that ends up next to your skin is irritant-free.

Eileen Fisher, Patagonia and G-Star Raw are just a few of the larger brands making giant waves in sustainable and ethical fashion. Although they are paving the way for smaller companies to thrive on similar platforms, the challenges such businesses face in transparency and sustainability are much different. Many items are manufactured locally or in-house, supplies are sourced domestically, and how they approach making sustainable goods can vary.

company to make 100% zero-waste clothes, where all materials and resources are utilized to produce functional ensembles without producing trash, and offers custom designs.

Study NY is the brainchild of Tara St. James. Not only does Tara run a transparent, sustainable clothing company, but she also lends her talents to educating emerging designers and works as the production coordinator for the Brooklyn Design and Fashion Accelerator. Many of Study NY’s pieces employ zero-waste pattern-making, meaning the whole piece of yardage is utilized during the construction of the garment. Additionally, Tara creates new pieces like the Weaving Hand Sweatshirt from her own textile scraps. In every aspect of her company, she considers responsible fabric, ethical production and the ethos of slow fashion – a philosophy that ensures quality manufacturing to lengthen garment life, as opposed to disposable fast fashion.

Four Rabbit is changing the eco-fashion archetype by placing a vital importance on employing local and ethical labor, sustainable creation, and raising awareness in the textile industry. Technical, functional, stylish, unisex clothing is made using zero-waste pattern-making.

It’s becoming easier all the time to make smart, conscious choices as a consumer. If you want to be the future of fashion, buy sustainably.

Three noteworthy small businesses are Zero Waste Daniel, Study NY and Four Rabbit.

Zero Waste Daniel specializes in “ReRoll.” To prevent any fabric from ending up in a landfill, owner Daniel Silverstein takes little bits of scrap and pieces them together by hand into stylish unisex tops and bottoms in his make-shop in Brooklyn, New York. ZWD is the first For more information, visit eileenfisher.com/vision-2020, fourrabbit.com, study-ny.com, honeysucklemag.com • HONEYSUCKLE MAGAZINE | zerowastedaniel.com, g-star.com, and patagonia.com.

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David Bergman

Good News Disguised as Bad News

lt’s an awful time to be an environmentalist. You’ve all heard about it: a government in which a majority of the cabinet denies climate change; in which phrases about it have been removed from federal websites; in which science is subjugated to politics, and on and on. Should we despair?

Yes, the United States is taking a giant leap backward, reversing environmental policies and rescinding regulations that were implemented under Democrats and Republicans alike. All to appease financial backers under the guise of job creation (never mind that jobs in the fossil fuel industry are exactly as unsustainable as the industry itself).

But in this seemingly apocalyptic scenario, we can view some of the bad news as a door opening to renewed —and perhaps strengthened— environmentalism. If the reason for this can be summed up in one word, it’s backlash.

First, let’s look at the business world’s take on our environmental state of things. If the Trumpian arguments against the existence of climate change are that it doesn’t exist and, if it did, it would be a drag on the economy (and can you even have it both ways in Trumplandia: can you say “It doesn’t exist, but if it did?”), a lot of business and financial interests are not buying it. Take for instance, reinsurers. These are the companies that insure the insurance companies in case their losses are too big. And that’s what they expect will happen as the impacts of climate change continue and grow worse (2017 set record losses).

That sounds like bad news, but what it really means—the good news—is that those companies are forced to acknowledge that this is real, and brace themselves accordingly. Climate change-fueled storms are going to incur, increasing economic damage, and reinsurers’ projections offer concrete evidence for businesses’ acknowledgement of that reality. And while the reality is indeed bad, those companies will be communicating with the government about the resulting financial impacts and pressuring them to do something about it. Being large corporations, they have more influence than you or I do.

But the real story here is what’s happening on the ground in communities across the country in the face of Trump’s ideological idiocy. And that’s where the backlash comes in. His position, reinforced by anti-science climate change deniers like former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, is so extreme that it has energized not only avid environmentalists, but also those who tended to 84 | HONEYSUCKLE MAGAZINE • honeysucklemag.com

Photo by

be less active. One million people participated in last year’s March for Science. It’s similar in ways to the response that this administration’s misogyny has brought an influx of women running for political office.

Concern about climate change has also manifested in marches, but more significant is the trend in public opinion.

Historically, the environment has polled low in Americans’ priority of issues, but those are flawed polls in that they assume people cannot be concerned about more than one thing at a time, that they have to choose between issues.

When people are polled, though, on their beliefs about climate change, a different story emerges.

In March, a poll taken by the Yale Program on Climate Change Education showed that, among other positive results, the percentage of Americans who believe that global warming is happening has grown to 70 percent, an increase of seven percentage points from three years ago. They outnumber deniers now by a 5 to 1 ratio.

Similarly, a Gallup poll from January 2018 that asked about Americans’ satisfaction with the quality of the environment showed a marked decrease since 2013 with the sharpest change occurring since 2017. For the first time since 2008, more people were dissatisfied with the quality of the environment than were satisfied.

The bad news still vastly outweighs the good. But the backlash to the policies resulting in that bad news portend a silver lining. People who were merely concerned about the environment are now outraged, and those who were “believers” but less worried are now becoming motivated.

And though polls show that deniers are digging in their heels, political action by energized activists and newlymotivated individuals has the ability to affect policy in a way that inaction from deniers does not.

And therein lies the good news. Inadvertent though it may be, the current administration’s rants against climate change have brought the issue to the forefront of progressives’ consciousness in a way that the likes of Al Gore and Leonard DiCaprio couldn’t, and have fomented a renewed and unanticipated energy in the environmental movement.

Hopefully, it’s really pissing the current administration off.

Photos ©; Jordan Taylor Thunderhead painting

by Wright Michelle Manley

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film review by

Matt Saber

I have found the solution to climate change. And no, it’s not veganism like your dreadlocked friend keeps telling you. The meat industry may use up quite a bit of water and produce more methane than any other human activity, but the real problem is not the meat industry. It’s the human industry. We’ve had a good run. It’s time to tap out.

I think we can all agree that children are tiny, dumb versions of adults and we don’t need any more of them.

Children were invented sometime in the early 1600s due to fears of a tyrannical God and a need for cheap farm labor. After the industrial revolution made machines more effective than eight-year-olds and finally allowed adult humans some leisure time, a child’s function transitioned from farmhand to a vicarious vessel of hope for bored, dissatisfied adults. But it’s 2018 now. Our only god since the fall of Kanye is Donald Glover; and if an adult is bored or dissatisfied, that’s a problem for Prozac. It’s time to come together as a people, cease reproduction, and make ours the last generation.

But what does a childless society look like? Director Alfonso Cuarón gave his take in the 2006 film Children 86 | HONEYSUCKLE MAGAZINE • honeysucklemag.com

of Men—a road trip/action flick disguised as social commentary. The film takes place in the year 2027 where all of the world’s governments have collapsed and, due to worldwide infertility in women, there hasn’t been a child born in over eighteen years.

The film opens in Trump’s London—where the government’s primary purpose seems to be keeping out illegal immigrants and responding to terrorist attacks— and follows Theo (Clive Owen), a grizzled drunk trying to keep his head down in this dystopian reality.

Cuarón makes no attempts to explain the cause of this childless society’s breakdown. Certainly, our governments are run by children, but I think that’s metaphorical. Theo argues against causation. “Even if they discovered the cure for infertility, it doesn’t matter. Too late.

The world went to shit. It was too late before the infertility thing happened,” he says after smoking marijuana, which is somehow still illegal in 2027. Clearly, this is Cuarón’s way of telling us it’s time to legalize marijuana and stop having children before we reach the point of inevitable self-destruction.

Then comes the roadtrip. In an attempt to get laid, Theo joins up with a terrorist group and ends up in a car full of radicals and a refugee woman wearing suspiciously baggy clothing. After the terrorists turn on each other, and it’s revealed that the clearly-pregnant woman in baggy clothing is pregnant, she and Theo sneak away in order to continue their roadtrip. They are headed towards a refugee camp in order to meet up with The Human Project—a potentially made-up group attempting to fix the infertility problem. Some stuff happens, they get to the refugee camp, and Baggy Clothes gives birth to a baby girl. On their way to meet The Human Project, the terrorists show up, the army shows up, everyone begins shooting each other. Suddenly, they notice there is an infant in their midst and stop what they are doing to look at it like it’s supposed to be a miracle or something. Anyway, Baggy Clothes and the baby escape and the movie ends on a hopeful note, as if one baby is going to solve all of the world’s problems.

Amidst the action scenes designed to sell movie tickets, Cuarón seems to be arguing that without children, humanity will lose all their hope. I disagree. Imagine all the benefits to a world without kids. No babies on planes or movie theaters. You can’t have school shootings if nobody goes to school. Instead of giving up at thirty and living vicariously through our children, it’s time for us to band together, stop reproducing to save the planet, and find hope and value in the things that really matter—like eating meat.

Ask An Exotic White Guy Samuel Clemens Long

Fucking white people.* It’s a phrase I say with some regularity. And you’ll come to see why.

Looking at our energy future, we need to decide to thrive instead of just survive. Just making enough to cover “demand” with renewables isn’t going to change how future-fucked we are. We need to create an energy surplus, a vast energy surplus. What the heck would we do with this surplus? Oh, it ends up A LOT. How about recycle ANYTHING? Recycling is all about the cost of energy. That plastic that you so whitefully** recycle? Currently, it’s pretty much an economic and environmental wash (if not loss). An energy surplus could also desalinate sea water. L.A.? Africa? Freshwater, regardless of rainfall or climate change. You’re starting to get the picture. There are world/humanity-changing things that we can do with a surplus of cheap, reliable, and clean energy.

Well, duh. Of course a ton of cheap, clean energy would be great. And in 2169 when the aliens gift us with the Dyson sphere, it will be tits.

But (overly dramatic drum roll)… what if I told you there’s a technology that has all the fuel you’d ever need for your entire life (not to just charge your phone, we’re talking about charge and make your car, etc), fits in the size of a marble, and that marble would cost $100. The fuel for this imaginary and magical technology is so plentiful that we have a 100,000 year supply, and that supply is the byproduct of modern mining for more valuable ores. This fanciful tech could consume (recycle) bombs, both nuclear and traditional. This unicorn idea emits no carbon, creates very little waste, and is crazy safe.

You know where this is going. What if I told you that this technology actually exists? It’s called a Molten Salt Reactor (MSR) or a specific flavor, which was rebranded by the MSR Jesus, Kirk Sorensen, as Liquid Fluoride Salt Reactor (LFTR, pronounced “lifter”). And it’s…

NUCLEAR!?

Yes, I can hear your collective sphincters pucker. “But nuclear energy is bad! We need to phase out nuclear energy! It’s dangerous!” Yes, the way that we do current

nuclear is not great (or terribly safe).

But there’s about 1500 ways to do nuclear; we’re only using two of them as of now. That’s like saying all movies are bad because you saw Transformers.

So LFTR must employ some technology that is crazy futuristic, which, like nuclear fission, is 50 years away from being possible? Turns out WE ALREADY FUCKING BUILT ONE IN 1964!!!!! We built the silver bullet to energy independence before seat belts were mandatory. And it worked! And when they shut off the power to the safety back-ups, the reactor self-regulated its own temperature and proved its passive safety.

Quick and dirty: today’s Simpsons-style reactors (called light water reactors) use solid expensive fuel, operate steam at high pressure and require active safety measures. The best examples are generators et al (what we saw fail at Fukushima Daiichi in Japan), which are capable of “meltdowns.” Contrastingly, LFTR uses cheap fuel suspended inside liquid (melted) salts, does not operate at high pressures, and requires no active safety, should things go all Chernobyl.

This is all coming at you hard and fast, but I’ll uncover the real nugget here. Since 1964 we haven’t needed war for oil. Let that sink in, millions of lives have been needlessly sacrificed at the altar of hydrocarbons. That veteran/civilian/refugee that you know who died or was mangled by war? Our choice.

This is starting to feel personal, isn’t it? All the carbon and other toxic emissions that have been blown into the atmosphere since 1964 were optional.

But now that you are burdened with this information, you won’t do anything. You won’t even Google this scientific wunderkind, let alone call your elected officials and make sure we adopt it. No yelling from the rooftops.

No bringing it up around the proverbial watercooler. No casual conversations. No Insta or Facebook posts.

All for the same reason that I didn’t even want to write this article. ‘Cuz #fuckingwhitepeople*

I can hear your collective sphincters pucker.

*Fine print: White people do not have to be white people. This is probably a whole article in itself. You obviously don’t have to be white to wear dock shoes, khaki shorts, and a pink button down shirt. But no matter who you are, it’s still white AF. Similarly, having access to public transportation, recycling, vegan food, clean energy etc. and an unlimited source of information (aka the internet) and choosing to just not… is white. Being white is having every opportunity available to you. Choice. ** For chrissake of course people of color recycle too.

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Artwork © Retro, B

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T

1

Taylorcutfilms.com Intenton.io

he poem “Mind/Body/Spirit” and beautiful images come from Forever in the Infinite Now, a new book by director/photographer Jordan Taylor Wright. Released on National Meditation Day (May 31, 2018), the part-memoir, part-instructional guide delves into Wright’s own experiences with spirituality connecting to all elements of the Earth and humanity. A curated soundtrack and custom illustrations by designer Rebecca Reitz accompany the book’s poetic, deeply resonant language and help readers to focus their meditation.

The founder of Taylor Cut Films, Wright is committed to a creative and sustainable lifestyle which encourages understanding at the highest levels of vibration. He may be best known for his work with such celebrity musicians as Usher, Jennifer Lopez, Justin Bieber, and The Chainsmokers. (In fact, he directed the music video for the latter’s number-one single “Closer.”) Yet Wright also believes his success stems from genuine appreciation of living in the moment—and, as he told us, finding the points where past, present, and future converge to make the universe its most beautiful.

“Once we, as humans, realize that we are all nothing and by nothing, I mean no thing, we are freed to realize that we are also all everything,” Wright says. “When we operate without ego, we are able to find what is truly fulfilling.”

Forever in the Infinite Now serves as a precursor to the upcoming film Discovery of the Divine Consciousness, Wright’s first feature, set for release in late 2018. It also heralds the launch of his digital platform, IntentOn, where fans can subscribe to learn about filmmaking, visual effects and photography through his Taylor Cut University.

R Reading about The City of Light.

Next best thing to Being There There. available on Amazon heliotropebooks.com

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Grows in the Big Apple

Beekman Penthouse © Mia Sampson

Limited resources and heightened environmental awareness have caused a worldwide sustainable real estate boom. Developers and property managers see this demand growing as consumers become more aware of a property’s energy consumption and green details.

Once spotted primarily in single-family homes, the green movement is now trending on a global level toward condos and multi-family residences. Property owners are concerned with their carbon footprint and understand the benefits of buying green for future re-sales. There are simple, attractive ways to convert a property to be sustainable with standard features: solar panels for reduced electric bills, new insulation and energy-efficient appliances. Passive design elements like greywater systems, shower systems with low-flow and recycled materials for building and repairs, are also

incorporated. Many states offer homeowners major incentives and tax savings for eco-friendly upgrades.

Manhattan real estate company Douglas Elliman is leading the pack with sustainable properties for forward-thinking buyers.

Licensed real estate broker David Rosen says, “Sustainability has never been more important. All of us

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want to love what we buy, and everyone wants their home to reflect their best qualities. Over 50% of buyers are under 36 years old nationally, and for them, buying properties with sustainable architecture is even more important than ever. Inside NYC, we already have something sustainable that people overlook all the time, the collective use of heat and hot water, which saves money and energy. However, that’s not that sexy.

What is sexy are new developments with planted roofs that insulate and beautify, and sustainably-sourced wood floors, which is really trendy in renovation.

There is also a lot of opportunity for improvement. As we transition away from the explosive boom of new development, I would like to see landlords improve existing homes with fewer leaky faucets and more lights on timers, which could help keep us trending towards a lower carbon footprint.”

PR firm Janine Just, Inc. recently produced a wellness-themed New York Fashion Week event for health food brand KIND in The Beekman Residences, managed by GFI Capital Resources Group.

The property management company understands what consumers are seeking from green living, which means it holds weight in every purchase made. The KIND Be-In highlighted a day in the life of the KIND customer with spaces devoted to functional brands that practice a less-is-more approach for the modern consumer: Linja Shoes, Lavit, Minois, Bulletproof, Chella Beauty, WearableX, Buddha Booth, Winky Lux, Patchology, Beau Brummell, Woodford Reserve, Icer Brand and Will Lane. Tech Style NYC has seen major growth of wellness and sustainable living brands in both the tech and fashion sectors in the past few years.

Holistic approaches to home, fashion and how we interact are becoming priority and brands are taking notice. More than a trend, green is now a lifestyle.

Šárka’s Dream © Sparrowhawk

O N E

“We are all related,” says Cheryl Dupris, a grandmother

Many indigenous tribes are linked by the Seven

of the Sioux Nation. This isn’t simply a mantra for her,

Fires Prophecy, a series of prophecies that represent

bond between humanity, Earth, Spirit and all beings. In

of traditional culture, and subsequent destruction of

but a way of life ingrained in Native American culture

that goes a long way toward explaining the primordial

their tradition, it isn’t enough to say that everything is connected—actions should reflect your beliefs.

Cheryl notes that most tribes regard Mother

Earth as the ultimate source of life, and Sioux origin

stories, passed down through generations, hold that all humans began from the same place—the ground. Each group was given distinct responsibilities, whether over the stars or water or the land (the Sioux religion tells of a white buffalo who transformed into a woman and

presented the tribe with a pipe which they could use to measure their tribal evolution). Thus a balanced

ecosystem was created where everyone contributed to the community’s overall welfare. Unfortunately, that ecosystem has been disrupted.

For the Native Americans, the Spiritual realm

played an important role in that balance, and does

so today. The Sioux Nation teaches that all spirits are

here to help; proper communication with our guides empowers us to learn empathy, compassion, and gratitude on a universal scale.

According to Cheryl, Mother Earth wants us to

recognize our holistic connections. We don’t exist in vacuums; we’re obliged to honor everyone before and after us, as well as the planet itself.

“We’re different people,” Cheryl remarks, “but

we’re all going to meet the same demise [if] we’re killing the basis of our home.”

key spiritual wisdom for Native Americans and

predicted the coming of the Europeans, a splintering the Earth. How do we escape that apocalyptic fate? We

learn to love each other, and we accomplish that by listening to Spirit.

Experts in the prophecies will tell us that we’re

now in the time of the Seventh Fire, an era where the wise Elders of the past have gone to sleep and only the

bravest, most tenacious youths can awaken them with

the right questions. The Native Americans believe we face two paths, one green and alive, one charred. It’s up

to humanity to choose and forever seal our fate with

the planet. If we pick correctly, an Eighth Fire will be lit, regenerating balance with Mother Earth and ushering in eternal peace among living creatures.

There’s much to learn about achieving Oneness

through the old ways, which we can make new again.

If we can treat each other as family, regardless of background, we can internalize these bonds and show Spirit the faith that indigenous people have kept

dear for centuries. We are thankful that, despite the

historical adversity and atrocities forced on indigenous communities by “us” (non-indigenous people), they are willing to share this vital information. This healing

knowledge about Oneness grants us access to our greatest tool for our planet, ourselves.

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Ancestral Icon © Sparrowhawk Shamanic Drum © Nikolay Dyaknoov

IN NATURE’S VOICE

Singer Zarina Kopyrina’s story sounds like a creation myth: A young woman with special powers travels from

an ancient land bearing healing messages from Spirit. Born in Yakutia, a federal republic of northeastern Russia,

she grew up surrounded by an indigenous culture which emphasized shamanic rituals and connection to nature.

Zarina and drummer Andreas Jones take these teachings a step further in their band Olox (Yakutian for life). They combine old-style folk music and throat-singing with contemporary electronic tracks and Zarina’s unique ability From Gualala with totemic Yakutian Serge © Veronika Hsu

to imitate any animal.

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Zarina and Andreas perform

On the phone, the artist demonstrates the calls of

“Can you imagine 20, 30 people synchronized and

ravens, polar bears, reindeer and more. “When I do

connected by breath?” Zarina laughs. She explains that

the different messages… We [humans] block ourselves,

trances take her to life’s very center. “I go to the micro

animal sounds,” she says, “I transform myself into this animal in my mind, soul and heart. I can understand but everyone has animalistic power and a little shaman inside who’s sleeping.”

Yakutian culture encourages opening oneself to

this inner shaman so that energy can be shared among

the universe’s “three levels.” There’s a lower world for

dark spirits, a middle world for Earth’s inhabitants, and an upper world for protective deities. The rituals that Zarina learned, including playing shamanic drums,

maintain balance between all realms. With Olox, she

and Andreas are spreading neo-shamanism, a method

of accessing those energies for creative expression and universal harmony.

“We do ancestral work in our music,” she notes. “It’s

necessary to find new ways of thinking by contacting our ancestors, because they knew how to communicate with nature. We take everything from nature but don’t

give. Now people are becoming aware that something is wrong.”

Olox helps Zarina and Andreas right those wrongs

as they perform internationally (they are now based

in Los Angeles). Among their initiatives are healing workshops for throat-singing, animal sounds, and communal breathing.

sound is the first point of connection for all organisms, because “everything is vibration,” and that musical

world, infinity… emptiness. I fall into this emptiness and find myself there. I activate the part of the brain which is sleeping. Yakutian shamans… know the law of the universe and easily manipulate this energy. They can show it to people, who are then open to being healed.”

But Olox will be primarily an educational tool and

eco lifestyle brand. On an Arctic expedition, Zarina and

Andreas turned garbage on the New Siberian Islands into instruments. They also support sustainable

technologies for restoring nature, such as atmospheric generators that produce potable water.

Currently they are crowdfunding to develop a

Yakutian-inspired natural clothing line, chakra jewelry, and a hybrid recording studio/stage RV. Eventually they

hope to work with scientists to research the neurology behind sound healing.

Until then, we must believe in sonic synergy. “Our

music works for everybody who is open to the spiritual world,” Zarina concludes. “Not everybody is open, but it

is our mission to spread the message. It’s Planet Earth!

We are one.”

See more from Zarina, Andreas and Olox at honeysucklemag.com! Visit olox.life and @zarinakopyrina on• HONEYSUCKLE Instagram. honeysucklemag.com MAGAZINE | 93

Photos © Broad Green Pictures

O

ne of the most visionary directors of our time

meets the greatest story ever told. Renowned auteur

Terrence Malick has made movie history with such films as Badlands, Days of Heaven, and The Thin Red Line. Now his phenomenal documentary Voyage of Time takes on the breathtaking saga of Earth’s creation, expanding the cosmic beauty that became a signature scene in his autobiographical Tree of Life.

On November 16th and 17th, watch the awe-

inspiring planetary evolution unfold in a whole new way at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) New Wave

Festival. Voyage of Time is a 40-years-in-the-making

epic which mesmerizes at every turn, from the Big Bang to early humans to present-day landscapes across the globe. It culminates in an arresting look toward our future—but how do we ensure we get there?

The film made a splash when it premiered in 2016

with two different versions: a 45-minute IMAX movie narrated by Brad Pitt, and a 90-minute philosophical

feature narrated by Cate Blanchett. Now prepare to 94 | HONEYSUCKLE MAGAZINE • honeysucklemag.com

be spellbound by a complete triumph for the senses.

The BAM screenings will feature live orchestration and

choral performance by the Wordless Music Orchestra, an internationally recognized concert series group

that comprises master artists in various genres from all over the country. Their world premieres of live film scores are second to none, from Beasts of the Southern Wild in Prospect Park to Under the Skin in Los Angeles.

BAM’s special presentation of Voyage of Time will also

include live narration by acclaimed actress Lily James (Baby Driver).

As producer Nicolas Gonda says, “Nature has

always been a central character in [Malick’s] films— now it’s the star.” With spellbinding visuals and the

exultant sounds of Bach, Beethoven, and Mahler, we

just can’t wait to celebrate this cinematic achievement in planetary oneness.

Screens November 16th and 17th at BAM Howard Gilman Opera House. Visit BAM.org.

Life © Jordan Taylor Wright

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CONT RBUTO R S Retro, B is an evolving visionary and cannabis activist with a love for photography, surrealism, and projection. Her projects are created and fueled by passion and curiosity. bretroland.com FB: @retroblife T: @bretro_ IG: @retro.b David Bergman is the author of Sustainable Design: A Critical Guide, principal of David Bergman Architect, and teaches at Parsons School of Design. A LEED Accredited Professional and Certified Passive House Designer, his ecodesign work has been featured in publications including The New York Times, Metropolis and Dwell, and Architectural Record. His blog is EcoOptimism.com. davidbergmanco.com @ecooptimism Jessica Bern is a producer, editor, writer, and motion graphic artist. She has written for CafeMom and SheKnows. bernthis.com Kymberly Byrnes is a Cannabis investor, host of “Cannabis with Kym B,” co-founder of the New Jersey Cannabis Commission and Tribe Tokes, an NYC Ambassador for Women Grow, and a Vice President of CannaGather. @cannabiswithkymb Claude Chereau, PhD, is a practitioner-in-residence at the University of New Haven and visiting lecturer at the Mountbatten Institute in New York.

Citizen Jay Daily is a Technical Writer at Medicine Man Technologies and CEO/Owner at TokeRadio.com.

“DX 21” Dasun is a writer, poet, editor and speaker of the cobo bobo misfit mystic. dx21presents.com @dx21dasun Christopher DeWan is an LA-based writer, author of Hoopty Time Machines: Fairy Tales for Grown-Ups, and

96 | HONEYSUCKLE MAGAZINE • honeysucklemag.com

was recognized as one of the International Screenwriters Association’s “Top 25 Screenwriters” in 2017. christopherdewan.com FB: @christopher.dewan.writer T: @theurbansherpa IG: @monkeymischief Robin Eisenberg is an LA-based artist and designer.

Her art explores sexuality, introspection, and adventure, with a pastel and neon color palette. It has been featured on Nickelodeon, Comedy Central’s Broad City, and in brand campaigns including Ray-Ban and Asos. robineisenberg.com IG: @robineisenberg David N. Feldman is an attorney (partner at Duane Morris LLP) and the author of several books including the award-winning Reverse Mergers and The Entrepreneur’s Growth Startup Handbook. His blog bluntlegaltalk.com has been recognized by LexisNexis as a Top 25 corporate law blog. FB: @DavidFeldmanAttorney T: @DavidNFeldman YT: The Entrepreneur’s Advocate Dadly Filius is a Haitian-American media specialist born and raised in Florida who aims to distribute the Caribbean-American narrative throughout the world.

He is one of the few at the educational forefront for Millennials about South Florida’s Cannabis Industry.

T: @ThaKid6500 IG: @profilmgmt_pr Julie Gratz is a Brooklyn-based director, artist, and animator. She is the founder and Executive Director of Kaleida Studio, a production studio specializing in animation for film, music, documentary, and commercial projects. Juliegratz.com, kaleida.studio, IG: @juliegratz Aaron Kulik is a video artist based in Berlin and the exclusive video wizard for Seth Troxler (@stroxler). koolikvisuals.com FB: @koolik.melts.your.face IG: @koolikvisuals

Nick Konstantine Lioudis is a New York-based writer, editor and multimedia professional. He regularly publishes on Medium, and has been Head of Content for Casual Spectator and Deputy Editor of Financial Investment News. @nickkonstantine

David H. Rind, PhD, is a Senior Climate Researcher Emeritus at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York, NY and an Adjunct Senior Research Scientist at the Center for Climate Systems at Columbia University’s Earth Institute.

Lori B. Lipten is an international best-selling author, world-renowned medium, contemporary shaman, and empowering retreat leader and teacher. llipten.com

Matt Saber lives a quiet life in suburban Michigan and dreams of one day developing a passion for something other than sarcasm.

Samuel Clemens Long Samuel Clemens Long is not Mark Twain, in this incarnation. He is a photographer, filmmaker, writer, director, and mischief lover. SamCLong.com, @samuelclemenslong

Sparrowhawk has been dubbed “the Founder of Transcendental Story Art.” He creates “tangible illusion” paintings by acknowledging the skills of his mentor Thomyss Ivan Harmon, the petroglyphs, philosophies and stories of his ancestors and the energies of every soul he meets.

Scott Longnecker is an actor, writer, and cannabis advocate based in Los Angeles.

Michelle Manley is a painter, yoga teacher, and healer in Austin, TX. michellemanley.com Liz Montgomery is a registered nurse and freelance writer who is currently working on a memoir. @lizzygracenyc Theresa Reed aka The Tarot Lady is a full-time Tarot reader in practice for 30 years. She is the author of The Tarot Coloring Book. Learn more about her at thetarotlady.com @thetarotlady The Rialto Report (April Hall and Ashley West) is an adult film podcast series on the adult film industry in New York and beyond. Its founders were consultants on the HBO series The Deuce, starring James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal. Therialtoreport.com

Katie Stromme is a writer and editor who has previously served as creative nonfiction editor of Mud Season Review and assistant editor of Hunger Mountain journal. She holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and lives in Brooklyn. @strommesalami Arielle Toelke is a makeup, special effects, and custom props artist for film and television (Instinct, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Sinister et al), as well as the designer and creator of Four Rabbit. She frequently writes about sustainable living and business practices. @four.rabbit Brian Van Remmen has been writing for over 20 years. He co-founded Hip Pocket Books, a small independent press, and in 2015, DenimSkin, an NYCbased literary and art review. In 2018, Brian will publish a book of poetry titled Failure’s Finest Moment. @aardvark1979 Jordan Taylor Wright is a filmmaker and photographer based in Los Angeles. He is the founder of Taylor Cut Films and IntentOn and the author of Forever in the Infinite Now. taylorcutfilms.com intenton.io @taylorcutfilms

Photo © Sam C. Long

honeysucklemag.com • HONEYSUCKLE MAGAZINE | 97

Green Green is rarely mean but like yellow and blue— lust and greed— contains its opposite too: Envy which we contain within— like carbon and gas paper, plastic, foil, glass and blood red rage— and thus sustain what may remain and once again make green and free a world not even blind men and women will not see.

—Jay Neugeboren

98 | HONEYSUCKLE • honeysucklemag.com Artwork © Retro,MAGAZINE B

HEALTH

ENERGY

MANUFACTURING

PLANET

FALL & WINTER 2018 TOUR

SEPT 28 & 29 - SOUTHERN HEMP EXPO NASHVILLE, TN

OCTOBER 2018 - CAROLINA TOUR

NOV 6 - 13 - TOKYO, JAPAN

RALEIGH, WILMINGTON, MYRTLE BEACH, CHARLOTTE

OCTOBER 2018 - OKLAHOMA & TEXAS NOV 2 - 5 - HEMP INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATION NATIONAL CONFERENCE (HIACON) LOS ANGELES, CA

NOV 14-16 - MJBIZCON CONFERENCE LAS VEGAS, NV

DEC 1 - HAWAII HEMP CONFERENCE OAHU, HI

honeysucklemag.com • HONEYSUCKLE MAGAZINE | 99

C E L E B R A T E

T H E

H O L I D A Y S

A T

“Club Cumming a place where fun, Voted is One of the kindness, sexiness, and a sense of “50 Reasons Why NYC Is the

community are the rules!”

Best Place In only The house World” — Alan Cumming

by TimeOut

Club Cumming is one of New York City’s most beloved venues — an intimate East Village bar rich in diversity with the ambience of a decadent Weimar Berlin cabaret club. Our motto at Club Cumming is ‘anything could happen’, and indeed every night is a magical smorgasbord of music and performance, with a crowd equally as eclectic and diverse: movie stars, drag queens, knitters, burlesque dancers, knights of the realm, torch song singers, sword swallowers, gogo boys and girls, centenarians! Every night is a magical surprise, and now you can have your own party designed for you by the Club Cumming team of party wizards.

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$9.99