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Thursday, March 27, 2025

Water Security: a pending to realized crisis

Healthy, balanced water and soil microbial communities are the foundation of and essential to life as we know it on the Earth. As featured in her May 2020 Bigger than Us podcast interview, Earth Impact (Ei) Founder & CEO Holly Elmore is known for the following quote:

Promo graphic for the podcast
In order for life as we know it to survive and thrive on planet Earth, we must - absolutely must - get our soil and water microbial communities back to a healthy, balanced state.

As established in the 2022 Regeneration in ACTION (RiA) Magazine article, Soil & Water: the foundation of life, soil and water are in a sacred marriage and support life on Earth; soil and water must be addressed in unison. Healthy well-structured soil is a living, breathing ecosystem and retains significantly more water than depleted soil. Additionally, healthy soil absorbs, filters, and removes contaminates from water as it flows to aquifers. In return, water keeps a healthy soil ecosystem hydrated.

Though its topic is water security, this article inherently addresses soil within the water discussion.

Water Security
Though water is abundant on our blue planet, less than one percent is fresh water necessary to support land-based plants, wildlife, and humans. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA:) 

Blue Planet image courtesy of
Science Learning Hub
The ocean covers more than 70 percent of the surface of our planet.

It's hard to imagine, but about 97 percent of the Earth's water can be found in our ocean. Of the tiny percentage that's not in the ocean, about two percent is frozen up in glaciers and ice caps. Less than one percent of all the water on Earth is fresh. A tiny fraction of water exists as water vapor in our atmosphere.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Inger Andersen, “Our planet is facing a triple crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste. These crises are taking a heavy toll on oceans, rivers, seas and lakes,” 

Water security is a crisis, pending in some regions and realized in others, that is wreaking havoc on the survival of civilizations and overall life as we know it on the Earth.

From an overview perspective, water security is broken down into three broad categories:

  1. Quality/Quantity
  2. Control/Ownership/Accessibility
  3. Global Flooding & Sea Level Rise
LAI Global Water-Land Series Group
In January 2024, Holly accepted the invitation to serve as the Lambda Alpha International (LAI) Global Water-Land Series Group (Group) Co-Chair along with founding Co-Chair Jim Musbach. At Holly's invitation, Ei Advisors Brad Bass, Ph.D., Michael Barbour, Ph.D.,  Tim Rumage, Marina Olmos, and Durga Poudel, Ph.D. joined the Group to share their expertise.

For 2025, the Group intends to host a global webinar within each of the water-security categories:
  1. Quality/Quantity - May 28, Agriculture, Water, Land Nexus: Unlocking the Intricacy
  2. Control/Ownership/Accessibility - Fall, The Colorado River Water Challenges.
  3. Global Flooding & Sea Level Rise - Summer, Increased Global Flooding & Sea Level Rise
The Group is in the initial stages of exploring a webinar on Water Rights / Laws: differences and commonality across the nation.

In December, Holly celebrated her ten-year anniversary of LAI membership. From 2018 - 2023, Holly served on the LAI Global Executive Committee and while living in Atlanta served on the LAI Atlanta Chapter Board.

About LAI

LAI is the honorary global network for thought leaders 

in all fields related to the preservation and sustainable development of land.

LAI is a growing network of chapters in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe and Asia. Each chapter offers a wide variety of programs with industry leaders, discussion forums, community service projects and networking events.

Membership is highly selective through a nomination process initiated by a LAI member. Nominees for LAI membership must demonstrate ten or more years of experience in their fields, professional distinction, and outstanding contributions to the community in their field of endeavor.

LAI is committed to excellence and high professional standards to make a difference. A value to members is knowing you are someone who helped make that difference.

Water Quality/Quantity*
Depleted available water supplies, whether from usage or contamination, are a growing crisis across the globe. Agriculture, rising global temperatures, and pollution are three of the many human-caused scenarios resulting in depletion of available fresh, clean water.

Chemical Farming
As water and soil are in a sacred marriage, conventional farming practices equally pollute soil, aquifers, and waterways.

In addition to causing nutrient-deficient food, the "cides"** and manmade fertilizers rich in nutrients, mainly nitrogen and phosphorus, used in conventional farming seep into the soil. Eventually the toxins and excessive nutrients flow into the aquifers and/or waterways. Heavy rainfall and melting snow wash the "cides" and nutrients from the farmlands into streams, rivers, and other waterways. 

In the U.S., the Mississippi River transports the "cides" and nutrients from the Midwest- and Southern-farming belts into the Gulf of Mexico. The excessive nutrients cause massive algae blooms that deplete the shoreline water of oxygen necessary to support marine life.

Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone
Photo courtesy of Ocean Today
The Mississippi River is like a drainage system for your street, but it connects 31 U.S. states and even parts of Canada. These nutrients are ultimately funneled into the Gulf of Mexico, sometimes traveling more than a 1,000 miles downstream to start a chain of events in the Gulf that turns deadly.

The nutrients fuel large algal blooms that then sink, decompose, and deplete the water of oxygen. This is hypoxia, when oxygen in the water is so low it can no longer sustain marine life in bottom or near bottom waters—literally, a dead zone. And it happens every summer.

When the water reaches this hypoxic state, fish and shrimp leave the area and anything that can't escape like crabs, worms, and clams die. If the amount of pollution entering the Gulf isn't reduced, the dead zone will continue to wreak havoc on the ecosystem and threaten some of the most productive fisheries in the world. 

On May 28, 2025, the LAI Group hosts the Agriculture, Water, Land Nexus: Unlocking the Intracity global webinar.  Attendance is free yet registration is required. Ei Advisor Durga Poudel, Ph.D. is the lead speaker and Holly is the webinar moderator

Per Durga:

This webinar aims to explore the intricate relationships between agriculture, water quality, and land economics, with a focus on the Mississippi River Basin of the United States of America.  It will provide a comprehensive overview of how agriculture contributes to non-point source pollution and the Gulf of Mexico’s hypoxia problem. Furthermore, it will examine the economic implications of water pollution on land values, especially in regions like Louisiana, where agriculture and waterways are vital to the economy and ecosystem. 

In layman's terms, the webinar explains how chemical-based agricultural practices in the Midwest are responsible for the hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico, commonly known as the Dead Zone.

Time-Released Fertilizers and Pesticides
With the common use of time-released fertilizers and pesticides in conventional farming came an unintended consequence: the flooding of micro and nanoplastics into the soils from the plastic-coated capsules. ... and what goes into the soils eventually ends up in the aquifers and waterways.

 In May 2022, the Center for International Environmental Law published a report on the plastics in the soils, Sowing a Plastic Planet: How Microplastics in Agrochemicals Are Affecting Our Soils, Our Food, and Our Future. From the astonishing report:

Plastics are everywhere in agriculture, from greenhouse films and landscaping fabrics to crop coverings and product packaging. Many of these uses provide pathways for plastic contamination. But the application of plastic-coated agrochemicals to soils and crops directly introduces microplastic into the environment and potentially into the food supply. It also compounds the health and environmental hazards posed by agrochemicals themselves.

One of the least known and most concerning sources of microplastic pollution is their deliberate addition to synthetic fertilizers and pesticides used in industrial agriculture.

Microplastics disintegrate into nanoplastics that are capable of segueing through cell walls. Thus, plants may join the animal-protein food contaminated with plastics. The micro and nanoplastics will run-off the fields or filter through the soil causing plastic contamination in our above and underground waterways.

As they use compost and other natural substances for crop nutrition and generally abstain from agrochemicals, organic and regenerative farms do not contribute to the tremendous plastics in the soils from plastic-coated capsules.

Water-Intensive Food
According to the New York Times (NYT) December 2023 article, How America’s Diet is Feeding the Groundwater Crisis, depletion of once abundant aquifers is due to America's increased consumer demand for cheese and chicken, mainly pizza and chicken wings.

Young dairy cows
In addition to an increase in exported chicken and dairy products, Americans ate an average of 100 pounds of chicken in 2022, doubling the annual consumption from 40 years ago. Beyond the water necessary for livestock-farming practices, water-intensive animal-feed crops, mainly soybean and alfalfa, are grown on the most arid lands in the American Midwest. Thus, once bountiful aquifers are nearly depleted. 

With water-scarcity challenges in California, many dairy farmers moved their California operations to high-dessert states like Idaho where regulations were less stringent on water usage. Before the dairy-farm migration in the 1990's, Idaho enjoyed a bountiful aquifer that supported life in the arid climate. Yet, over the past decades, the dairy farms along with animal-feed crops severely depleted the aquifer to a dangerous, cautionary state. 

According to the NYT article, "Idaho recently joined Wisconsin and California in an elite club: States that produce at least 1 billion pounds of cheese annually; each pound of cheese produced requires, on average, 10 pounds of milk. And the cows producing that milk need to eat high-protein foods, including water-intensive alfalfa."

While Idaho's water woes are caused by dairy ranching, in Arkansas, America's chicken headquarters, once bountiful aquifers are stressed by the expanding chicken farms and the related row crops to feed the fowl. Over the past decade, the value of the state's largest agriculture commodity doubled to an estimated $6.3 billion.

Additionally, the vast amount of chicken waste often pollutes local water.

* The majority of the Water Quality/Quantity section is an excerpt from the January 2024 RiA Magazine article, What We Eat Matters.
** "cides" are defined as herbicides, pesticides, insecticides, and fungicides

Control/Ownership/Accessibility
Even if there is ample water available, other human-caused hindrances may prohibit accessibility to the water. Control of the water through land ownership, public policy, agreements/contracts, and laws may limit access to water otherwise available for use.

Property-Owner Water Rights
Water rights may be as simple as a property owner has the right to access ground water beneath their land. Yet, in areas where water is scarce and/or in a crisis, there are often strict laws and policies governing the access and removal of ground water, no matter the land ownership. Water rights do not equate to ownership; they are similar to a permit for legal use water for a specified purpose in predetermined amounts.

In addition to ground water, water rights also apply to surface water in streams, rivers, and lakes. 

The Landgate FAQ: Everything You Need to Know About Water Rights article discusses the differences in water rights across the United States as follows:

Water rights vary significantly across the United States due to the country's diverse climate and geographic conditions. The legal frameworks governing water rights have evolved to address these regional differences, leading to a variety of systems and laws.

In the Eastern U.S., water is generally more abundant. Therefore, the riparian doctrine is commonly used, which allows landowners whose property adjoins a water source to use that water, as long as it doesn't harm other users. This system is based on shared access and reasonable use.

Conversely, the Western U.S. experiences more arid conditions, making water a scarcer commodity. Here, the doctrine of prior appropriation is more prevalent. This system grants water rights based on a "first in time, first in right" principle, meaning those who first divert water for beneficial use have priority in times of scarcity.

These differences are rooted in the varying needs and challenges posed by the local environments. Therefore, understanding the regional nuances of water rights is crucial for landowners across the country.

When water flows across state lines, state laws are no longer applicable; in these cases, water rights are governed by interstate compacts, court decrees, or congressional acts that dictate how the water use is allocated among the impacted states. With the depletion of accessible water in many regions, "water wars" among states are common.

Colorado River Basin
Originating along the Continental Divide in Rocky Mountain National Park, the Colorado River flows approximately 1450 miles to its destination in the Gulf of California in Mexico. According to the Bureau of Reclamation:

Colorado River, a river in crisis
Photo: The Nature Conservancy
The Colorado River is a critical resource in the West, because seven basin states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming) depend on it for water supply, hydropower production, recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, and other benefits. Although agricultural uses depend on 70 percent of Colorado River water, between 35 and 40 million people rely on the same water for some, if not all, of their municipal needs. Moreover, the United States also has a delivery obligation to Mexico for some of the Colorado River waters pursuant to a 1944 Treaty with Mexico.

The University of Southern California February 2023 article, The water wars of the future are here today: Seven thirsty states, including California, are fighting over the dwindling waters of the Colorado River. USC experts look at how we got here — and why this was inevitable opens with the statement: Once hailed as the “American Nile,” the Colorado River spans 1,450 miles and supplies nearly 40 million people across seven states plus northern Mexico with drinking water, irrigation for farmland and hydroelectric power. But after decades of drought and overuse, major reservoirs along the river are drying up.

Once abundant, the Colorado River is in severe crisis and no longer able to nurture the seven states and northern Mexico with adequate water for agriculture, hydropower, recreation, and drinking water.

The LAI Group intends to host a global webinar in late 2025 on the land economics challenges associated with the dwindling Colorado River flow. Group Co-Chair Jim Musbach is the webinar lead; the webinar will address ownership, public policy, and executed agreements that impact the Colorado River Basin water crisis.

Tri-State Water Wars
The disputes over control of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) river basin-water flow culminated in a 2021Supreme Court ruling that favored Georgia where the headwaters originate. Known as the Tri-State Water Wars, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida vie over rights of the ACF river basin waters. Additionally, Georgia and Alabama dispute water rights within the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa Basin.

Chattahoochee River Walk in Atlanta
photo courtesy of Explore Georgia
In the north, the Chattahoochee River uses are heavily urban- and recreation-oriented; after originating in the North Georgia Mountains, the Chattahoochee River flows through the metro-Atlanta region. In 1956, the Army Corps of Engineers completed Buford Dam on the Chattahoochee River north of Atlanta to create Lake Lanier, a reservoir used for recreation and drinking water. Buford Dam marks the beginning of Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area with the Bowmans Island Unit.

Fun fact: the Flint River originates literally under Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, once the busiest airport in the world. The RiA Magazine article, The Flint River: a river ready to regenerate, gives an overview of the river's origins and current challenges. Flowing unimpeded for nearly 220 miles, the Flint River is one of forty rivers in the nation that flows unimpeded for more than 200 miles. In the 1970's, the Georgia Natural Areas Council named the Upper Flint River Georgia’s “Most Scenic River.” Beyond recreational purposes, the Flint River is known for its vast biodiversity.

The Flint River joins the Chattahoochee River at the Georgia-Florida border to form the Apalachicola River, which flows on to the Gulf of Mexico. 

South of Atlanta and into Florida, the water-use issues mainly relate to environmental concerns. According to Dan Tonsmeire, Apalachicola Riverkeeper:

"The Apalachicola River, floodplain and bay comprise one of the most biodiverse and productive riverine and estuarine systems in the northern hemisphere. The historic natural function and cultural heritage of the surrounding communities remain intact much of the way it has been for generations of commercial fishermen on one of Florida's last working waterfronts. This ecosystem and its people are truly an American treasure."

Reduced water flow in the Apalachicola River is the result of up-river water management, drought, and channel revisions. Lower water levels severely impact the local ecosystem and the oyster fishery.

As the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of Georgia in the long-standing water dispute with Florida, the reduced water flow into the Apalachicola River continues to wreak environmental and ecosystem havoc.

Global Flooding & Sea Level Rise

Atmospheric River
photo courtesy: Scientific American
Warming global temperatures are the culprit underlying increased global flooding and sea level-rise challenges. Warm air holds more moisture than cooler air and contributes to extreme rain events including atmospheric rivers and hurricanes. In early 2023, multiple atmospheric rivers caused major flooding in Southern California, the California Central Coast, Northern California and Nevada. 

Glacial and ice sheet melts result in sea level rise and coastal flooding.

From the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) article Why are floods hitting more places and people?:

According to research from NASA, the proportion of people across the globe living in flood-prone areas has risen by 20% to 24% since 2000 — 10 times greater than the number previous models had predicted, as climate change drives extreme rainfall, rising sea levels and more intense hurricanes.

Often heatwaves and droughts precede heavy rains creating dehydrated soils; dry soils do not absorb water well, often erode into waterways during rain events, and increase the chances of flooding. 

The EDF article shared some startling facts:

  • $4.7B - average cost per U.S. flood event, river basin or urban, from excessive rainfall — aside from damage caused by tropical storms, 1980-2021. 
  • 25% - share of critical infrastructure in the U.S., such as police stations, airports and hospitals, at risk of becoming inoperable due to flooding. 
  • 21.8M - number of U.S. homes and businesses in harm’s way — 67% more than the number on federal flood-risk maps
  • River Flooding
    Interior land flooding is generally caused by extreme rainfall, glacial melts, earlier and faster snow melts, dam failures, and manmade infrastructure. Deforestation, wetland destruction, and urban areas filled with impermeable surfaces prevent the land from absorbing excess river or lake waters; the result is increased flood levels.

    On September 26, 2024, Hurricane Helene moved north through the Gulf around 100 miles off the Florida Central Gulf Coast. Helene made landfall as a massive Category 4 Hurricane in Florida's Big Bend Region. After making landfall, Helene traveled north causing catastrophic damage in the North Carolina western mountains and other areas; the destruction path was 500-miles long.

    Located in Western North Carolina, Asheville and nearby communities were devastated by Hurricane Helene. According to the Global Water Forum article, Examining the historic flooding in Western North Carolina:

    Western North Carolina is no stranger to heavy rainfall, but its mountainous terrain and river valleys make it particularly susceptible to flooding. The topography funnels water into rivers and streams, which can swell rapidly during intense rain. Hurricane Helene’s rain fell on already saturated ground, and the runoff quickly turned into flash floods that tore through the region. 
    Overall, property damage costs from the flood are estimated to be up to US$47.5 billion, affecting thousands of homes and businesses in Asheville alone.

    The flooding also wreaked havoc on Western North Carolina’s ecosystems. The Great Smoky Mountains and the surrounding national parks experienced significant landslides that disrupted habitats and threatened local wildlife.
    As floodwaters rushed through forests and river valleys, they carried away soil and uprooted trees, leaving behind a scarred landscape. In addition, the sediment-laden floodwaters flowed into streams and rivers, clouding water and affecting aquatic habitats.

    Blue Ridge Parkway hurricane damage
    photo: Asheville Citizen Times 
    The Blue Ridge Parkway, a 469-miles scenic highway connecting the Shenandoah National Park (near Waynesboro, VA) to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (near Cherokee, NC), was completely closed due to fallen trees, landslides, and infrastructure damage.

    On October 29, 2024, a DANA weather event near Valencia, Spain, the third largest Spanish city, caused the Turia River to release up to 300,000,000 cubic metres (390,000,000 cu yd) of water into the city. A total of 224 individuals died in the region; according to the Bank of Spain, the 2024 flooding cost Spain's financial sector over $20 billion.

    Per the Royal Meteorological Society's article,  Cut-off lows, cold drops and DANA:   

    In Spain, the DANA storm system forms when warm moisture-laden winds off the Mediterranean Sea get dragged under the stagnant pool of cold air sitting in the cut-off low higher up in the atmosphere. That creates an unstable environment, allowing huge storm clouds to quickly form, made even bigger by the mountainous topography. The warmer the waters, the bigger the storms and the heavier the rainfall. Which, thanks to the near-stationary nature of the DANA, is released over the same area.

    A warming climate exasperates naturally occurring weather systems into catastrophic events causing monumental urban, environment, and economic destruction. The above examples occurred across the globe in varying topography and via different weather events.

    Sea Level Rise
    Warming global temperatures, melting glaciers and ice sheets along with thermal expansion are the primary drivers for sea level rise. When ocean waters warm, water and other molecules move at a higher velocity causing them to take up more space. Thus, thermal expansion is a contributor to sea level rise.

    As stated in the NOAA article, Is sea level rising? Yes, sea level is rising at an increasing rate

    Global sea level has been rising over the past century, and the rate has increased in recent decades. In 2014, global sea level was 2.6 inches 67 mm above the 1993 average—the highest annual average in the satellite record (1993-present). Sea level continues to rise at a rate of about one-eighth of an inch 3.2 mm per year.

    Sea level rise has severe implications for coastal communities including flooding, shoreline erosion, loss of wetlands and marshes, and displacement of urban development. Salination of surface waters, aquifers, and coastal soils is another grave concern.

    Once it enters coastal aquifers, sea water contaminates the fresh water for many of the human uses including drinking water, agriculture irrigation, and hydration for livestock. A contaminated aquifer, whether from sea water, micro and nanoplastics, or toxic substances, is difficult to nearly impossible to cleanse. Thus, a portion of the less than 1% of fresh water on our blue planet is declining.

    From the June 2024 LAI Introduction to Water & Land Economics Global Webinar moderated by Holly, LAI Sacramento Chapter member Jay Lund, Ph.D., Vice Director, Center for Watershed Sciences & UC Davis Distinguished Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering, provides insights related to coastal community survival within the sea level-rise scenario:

    "We have a saying in ecosystems for aquatic ecosystems, at least in estuaries. that elevation is destiny; I think that is going to be true. The urban coasts will probably harden like the Dutch have done over 1,000 years or so. Some coasts are too expensive to harden, and we will simply let them go.

    Sea-level rise is a particular challenge for barrier islands and places subject to hurricanes, like the entire Florida coast.

    The big coastal cities that have ample resources, are very well organized, and have access to tremendous expertise will still face sea-level rise challenges. It' will be fairly expensive for them to raise their waste facilities, their drainage systems, and their wastewater-discharge systems. Additionally, the cities must protect their land from flooding."

    From the same webinar then Ei Advisor and LAI FL Suncoast Chapter member Steve Suau, P.E., Consultant at Carbon Life, stated:

    "Many coastal communities have what we refer to as "sunny-day flooding" during a King Tide, an exceptionally high tide during a full moon. Based on the orientation of the moon to the earth, King Tides will be more frequent starting around 2030.

    Most homes and buildings on the barrier islands are elevated due to hurricanes and are expected to fare well with sea-level rise. Planning for the infrastructure including roads, utilities, water & sewer lines, and lift stations is underway. Yet, roads can only be elevated so much. Sea-level rise is an exceptional challenge for the barrier islands.

    ... and sea-level rise will have a huge impact real estate values."

    Over the past century, sea levels in downtown Annapolis, Maryland rose over one foot, more than twice the global average. Nuance flooding, or sunny-day flooding as Steve refers to it, is commonplace with sections of the Annapolis City Dock now flooding approximately100 days annually. 

    Annapolis flooding
    photo: Patch
    In 2019, Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley formed a City Dock Committee consisting of nearly 100 residents, experts, and stakeholders. After numerous meetings, the Committee issued a report recommending that the Hillman Garage is rebuilt in conjunction with redevelopment of the City Dock via a public-private partnership.

    As stated in the Access Annapolis About The Project page:

    On the City Dock side, this $71* million infrastructure project, funded through federal and state grants and the Public Private Partnership (P3) concession payment from the rebuild of Hillman Garage, will help protect the historic downtown from the impacts of flooding for the next century. On the Compromise Street side, a $16* million pumping project will be installed to push the water away from roads and buildings.

    *Estimated figures – subject to change due to factors including labor and materials.

    Upon completion, a combination of a berm, walls, and gates will provide eight feet of flood protection. In addition, the nearby Naval Academy recently completed $37MM of flood walls, and a future section will tie-in with the City’s project.

    Glacial Melt
    According to the World Wildlife Fund article, Why are glaciers and sea ice melting?, 10% of land area on the Earth is covered with glacial ice. Rapid glacial melt in Antarctica and Greenland influences ocean currents; massive amounts of very cold glacial-melt water enters warmer ocean waters and slows ocean currents. As ice on land melts, sea levels continue to rise. 

    Melting glacier
    Photo: Geology page

    The Greenland ice sheet is disappearing four times faster than in 2003 and already contributes to 20% of current sea level rise. Alarmingly, if 100% of Greenland's ice melted, global sea levels would rise by 20 feet.

    In addition to sea level rise, glacial melt and warmer water shift ocean currents, impact weather events, dilute the ocean's salinity levels, and disrupt fresh water supplies as well as wildlife habitat and feeding abilities.

    Mountains, often referred to as Water Towers, are critical to the Earth's fresh water supply with sources stating that 60% of the accessible fresh water is attributed to mountains, mainly via snow and ice melts. Though snow melts are seasonable and in theory replenishable, when glacial ice melts the fresh water supply released is gone with no replenishment.

    Though Antarctica and Greenland glaciers are often a primary focus, there are over 200,000 mountain glaciers spread across the globe. Mountain glaciers play a critical role in global weather patterns and support more than 2 billion people with fresh water, food security, livelihoods, and cultural traditions.

    Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) caused by rapidly melting glaciers devastate mountain villages as well as communities and agriculture compounds located near the mountain base.

    Emphasizing the significant role glaciers play on many fronts, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly proclaimed 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation to raise awareness on the vital role glaciers, snow, and ice play in the climate system and water cycle, as well as the far-reaching impacts of rapid glacial melt. UNESCO and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) are the lead agencies overseeing the UN's efforts.

    In the Himalayas, a mountain range that separates the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau and contains some of the highest peaks on the Earth, glacial melt is further compounded by black clouds or "atmospheric brown clouds" over the mountains. The toxic clouds are caused by black carbon aerosols from biomass burning and fossil fuel combustion that disperse into the atmosphere; the clouds further warm the Himalaya mountain peaks, increase glacial melt, and deposit toxins into the ground snow.

    Within the water security categories, examples were provided that showcase the pending or realized crisis for fresh water on our blue planet. Though the scenario seems dire, solutions emerge within holistic global approaches and invoking collective consciousness. The RiA Magazine article, Collective Consciousness: a movement, a solution, introduces collection consciousness and gives examples of how it is incorporated within Ei's empowering work. 

    Yet, collective consciousness begins with individual and group consciousness. Ei Advisor Michael Barbour, Ph.D.., a renowned aquatic ecologist, reminds us "The world that our children's children inherit depends on the decisions we make today!

    Collective Consciousness: a movement, a solution
    As humanity toils with significant survival challenges – rising sea levels, extreme weather, diminished fresh, clean water, excessive toxins and pollution, and more – ancient wisdom emerges from within the chaos with a message: collective consciousness is a solution. Working together in a holographic manner where ALL benefit is a must to ensure survival.

    ALL is defined as the entire spectrum of living species and ecosystems as well as inanimate earth resources. Within humanity, ALL refers to the various societal structures and ensuring that the worker population is treated with dignity, respect, and cared for with the necessities of food, shelter, and clothing.

    Though the current environmental and water crisis may seem overwhelming, there are ample actions whose impact is negligible on an individual basis yet tremendous from a cumulative perspective. Individuals are consumers whose dollars vote for their choice in products, manufacturing standards and practices, and treatment of the labor force. To maintain profitability, companies and organizations must provide products and services that the consumer is willing to purchase.

    When consciousness shifts, structural paradigms rearrange and solutions not previously available reveal themselves. With open hearts, individuals may collectively shift possibilities and probabilities and invoke a world where the pending to realized water-security crisis segues into water abundance.

    _______________________________________

    Tax-deductible donations in any amount are greatly appreciated to support Ei's important work. 


    About Earth Impact:
    Earth Impact (formerly Elemental Impact) (Ei) is a 501(c)3 non-profit founded in 2010 as the home to the Zero Waste Zones, the forerunner in the nation for the commercial collection of food waste for compost. In June 2017, Ei announced the Era of Recycling Refinement was Mission Accomplished and entered the Era of Regeneration (June 2017 - June 2024). Focus areas included Nature PrevailsSoil Health | Regenerative Agriculture, and Water Use | Toxicity.

    The Regeneration in ACTION Magazine articles, From Organic Certification to Regenerative Agriculture to Rewilding Landscapes: an evolution towards soil integrity and SOIL & WATER: the foundation of life, published to explain and substantiate the importance of Ei’s rewilding urban landscapes work within the Nature Prevails focus area. What We Eat Matters is an emerging platform that intertwines within the three focus areas.

    As Ei enters the Era of Impact (June 2024 – present,) gears shift to a new business model, Ei Educates. Though education was always integral to Ei’s important work, the  primary focus was on projects, pilots, and initiatives supported by Ei Partners. The Regeneration Era focus areas carry over into the Era of Impact.

    The Holly Elmore Images Rewilding Urban Landscapes-album folder documents two active pilots: the Native-Plant Landscape Pilot and the Backyard Permaculture-Oriented Pilot. The Ei Pilots serve as an educational program.

    MISSION:
    To work with industry leaders to create best regenerative operating practices where the entire value-chain benefits, including corporate bottom lines, communities, and the environment. Through education and collaboration, establish best practices as standard practices.

    Ei’s tagline – Regeneration in ACTION – is the foundation for Ei endeavors.

    The following mantra is at the core of Ei work:

    Ei is a creator, an incubator.
    Ei determines what could be done that is not being done and gets it done.
    Ei brings the possible out of impossible.
    Ei identifies pioneers and creates heroes.

    For additional information, contact Holly Elmore at 404-510-9336 | holly@earth-impact.org.

    Sunday, March 9, 2025

    Welcome Michael Barbour, Ph.D. to the Ei Advisory Council

    On March 5, 2005 renowned Aquatic Ecologist Michael Barbour, Ph.D. officially joined the Earth Impact (Ei) Advisory Council!

    According to his official bio:

    Dr. Michael T. Barbour is an Aquatic Ecologist. He was the 2014 recipient of the International Environmental Stewardship Award given by a scientific society represented by 62 countries. This award was given because of his efforts in assisting EPA in updating the Biological and Physical Integrity components of the U.S. Clean Water Act and participating with scientists from the European Union to develop their biological protocol of their Water Framework Directive. He has been a member of the Heritage Oaks Healthy Lakes Initiative since its inception 4 years ago and has consulted with other Associations and Sarasota County EPD.

    Michael at his LAI-member induction ceremony
    FL Suncoast VP John Osborne, Michael & Charles
    Photo courtesy of Holly Elmore Images
    Michael will serve as an invaluable Ei Advisor within the Nature PrevailsSoil Health, and Water Use | Toxicity Ei platforms. 

    Additionally, Michael joined the Ei Regenerative Working Group (RWG) Executive Team. The RiA Magazine article, Regenerative Working Group: growth and evolution, chronicles the RWG formation and history, growth over the years, and the current evolutionary stage. Michael is slated to present at the March monthly RWG meeting.

    LAI Global Water-Land Series Group 
    Fellow Ei Advisor Charles Reith introduced Ei Founder & CEO Holly Elmore to Michael for the Lambda Alpha International (LAI) Global Land-Water Series Group co-chaired by Holly and Jim Musbach. Charles is a LAI FL Suncoast Chapter member.

    In early January, Michael accepted Charles and Holly's co-sponsored LAI FL Suncoast Chapter-member nomination and was formerly inducted into LAI at the January 30 chapter meeting. The IMPACT article, 2025 Suncoast Economic Forecast, chronicles the six chapter-member inductions at the prominent meeting.

    About LAI

    LAI is the honorary global network for thought leaders 

    in all fields related to the preservation and sustainable development of land.

    LAI is a growing network of chapters in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe and Asia. Each chapter offers a wide variety of programs with industry leaders, discussion forums, community service projects and networking events.

    Membership is highly selective through a nomination process initiated by a LAI member. Nominees for LAI membership must demonstrate ten or more years of experience in their fields, professional distinction, and outstanding contributions to the community in their field of endeavor.

    LAI is committed to excellence and high professional standards to make a difference. A value to members is knowing you are someone who helped make that difference.

    Healthy Ponds Collaborative*
    Stormwater ponds are manmade with three main purposes: 1> flood control, 2> filter out excess nutrients (nitrogen & phosphorus) and pollutants (oil & gas,) and 3> provide wildlife habitat. The manmade ponds are part of an overall stormwater-control system of linked ponds, man-made control boxes (weirs.) and natural wetlands that eventually flow stormwater into the Gulf.

    Unfortunately, many of the more than 6,000 stormwater ponds in Sarasota County are decades old and only operate at 40 - 60% filtering efficiency. 

    START is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization founded in 1995 to reduce the excess nutrients in our waterways that feed red tide and other Harmful Algal Blooms.  According to START Chair Sandy Gilbert, an Ei Advisor and LAI FL Suncoast Chapter member, START's mission is accomplished via public-education programs, water-quality government outreach, and nutrient-control programs. Recently, Michael joined the START Board to share his expertise as an Aquatic Ecologist.

    According to Sandy, "Michael Barbour is one of the leading community innovators in developing a sustained Healthy Pond Program along the Suncoast."

    In September 2021 START secured a $250,000 three-year grant from the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation to develop a regional “Healthy Pond Collaborative (HPC)” initiative. In addition to START, partners include Sarasota County’s Neighborhood Environmental Stewardship Team, the UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County, Suncoast Water Keeper, Barancik Foundation, and the Science and Environment Council (SEC) of Southwest Florida. Subsequently, START received a matching grant to duplicate the successful program in Manatee County.

    According to the START website, 

    The Barancik Foundation grants enabled START to advise over 100 communities along the Suncoast on how to improve their ailing stormwater-detention ponds and provide funding for native-aquatic plants that created over 25 miles of newly planted pond shoreline.

    * the Healthy Ponds Collaborative section is lightly edited copy from the 2023 RiA article, Coastal Water Quality: challenges, solutions, and economic impact. Sandy was one of four panelist on the LAI Global Webinar of the same name.

    Sarasota Bay Rotary Club
    In his capacity as club president, Charles invited Michael to present at the March 4 Sarasota Bay Rotary Club on the HPC's successes from a scientific perspective. Holly and Ei Advisor and LAI FL Suncoast Chapter member Tim Rumage are also members of the Sarasota Bay Rotary Club.

    Michael & Tim Rumage after
    the Rotary meeting
    Photo courtesy of Holly Elmore Images
    In his An Approach to Developing a Habitat Assessment Procedure for Stormwater Ponds presentation opening remarks, Michael shared his impressive contributions to the U.S. Clean Water Act and the European Union's Water Framework Directive. 

    Within the Clean Water Act, there are three components to ecological integrity - chemical, physical and biological - that are pertinent to all waterbodies; these components are integrated within State Water Quality Standards and the foundation for managing stormwater ponds. Chemical contamination and physical degradation result in altered biological condition.

    Based on the Habitat Parameters for a Lake (from the EPA’s Lake Assessment Protocol,) Michael listed the following plausible parameters to consider for stormwater ponds:

    1. Shoreline buffers (biofilters)
    2. Presence/absence of bank failure 
    3. Quality of littoral zones (sediment, slope)
    4. Aquatic plants in littoral zones (extent and type, that is Florida-friendly or invasive)
    5. Presence of Floating or in-pond wetlands
    6. Presence of noxious algae at certain times of the year
    7. Perimeter upland Florida-friendly landscaping (vegetation, rain gardens, etc. to retard runoff)
    8.  Pesticide/herbicide use (type, amount, frequency) 
    9. Impervious surface runoff (extent, drainage system) 
    10. Landscaping maintenance (mowing, trimming, etc.)
    In a less scientific yet aligned format, START lists the four basic elements of healthy pond maintenance:

    1. The use of best irrigation and fertilizer practices in the land area around the pond.
    2. The creation of a “No Mow Zone” around the perimeter of the of the pond that is at least 8 inches to 12 inches high and at least 3 feet wide.
    3. The use of aquatic plants on at least 30% to 50% of the Littoral Shelf or shallow area of the pond.
    4. The minimal use of herbicide sprays (Copper Sulfate) in and around the pond.
    Michael uses Buffer Zone and Littoral Zone Scorecards to provide an informative approach to assessing physical habitat & structure. Additionally, the scorecards identify weaknesses in overall pond management, enable a prioritization of elements to restore, and measure success as the healthy pond practices are implemented, 

    Per Michael, the ultimate goal is to obtain ecologically sustainable ponds and reduce discharge of excess nutrients and chemical herbicides to the watershed.

    The SEC, a HPC Partner, showcases Pond Restoration Success stories on their website. 

    In March 2023, the HPC announced the award-winning The Healthy Ponds Guide, a homeowners guide to establishing and maintaining healthy stormwater ponds; the Guide was written by members of the University of Florida IFAS Sarasota, Manatee and Polk County Extensions, the Sarasota County Public Works, Environmental Stormwater Utility and designed and edited by SEC co-executive directors Jennifer and David Shafer. Michael brought a copy of the Guide to the Rotary meeting, and club members gave the Guide sincere accolades.

    Michael's PPT presentation is available for download at this LINK.

    An Interesting Introduction
    As she prepared her introduction at the Rotary Club meeting, Holly asked Michael to share some interesting facts about his history and background. Wow, Holly hit the jackpot of interesting tidbits!

    Michael speaking at the meeting
    Photo courtesy of Holly Elmore Images
    Originally, Michael went to Eastern Michigan University to play basketball, which he did for his freshman and sophomore years. Then the science bug bit Michael, and he ceased his basketball adventures to focus on his biology studies. At Eastern Michigan, Michael received his undergraduate degree in Biology and his Masters degree in Aquatic Biology. Later, Michael earned his Ph.D. in Marine, Estuarine, and Environmental Science from the University of Maryland.

    Michael is a published author with three children's books and two novels. In the vein of an Indiana Jones-style action-hero narrative, the novels include an environment theme within their plots. As Michael has a Second Black Belt in Taekwondo, martial arts are integrated within the action scenes.

    Not someone to completely retire, Michael continues to share his scientific expertise in his roles as a START Board member, Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium Adjunct Senior Scientist, Heritage Oaks Healthy Lakes Initiative Chair, LAI FL Suncoast Chapter member, and most recently an Ei Advisor.

    Ei is honored to welcome Michael Barbour, Ph.D. to the Advisory Council and work with him on a variety of endeavors.

    _______________________________________

    Tax-deductible donations in any amount are greatly appreciated to support Ei's important work. 


    About Earth Impact:
    Earth Impact (formerly Elemental Impact) (Ei) is a 501(c)3 non-profit founded in 2010 as the home to the Zero Waste Zones, the forerunner in the nation for the commercial collection of food waste for compost. In June 2017, Ei announced the Era of Recycling Refinement was Mission Accomplished and entered the Era of Regeneration (June 2017 - June 2024). Focus areas included Nature PrevailsSoil Health | Regenerative Agriculture, and Water Use | Toxicity.

    The Regeneration in ACTION Magazine articles, From Organic Certification to Regenerative Agriculture to Rewilding Landscapes: an evolution towards soil integrity and SOIL & WATER: the foundation of life, published to explain and substantiate the importance of Ei’s rewilding urban landscapes work within the Nature Prevails focus area. What We Eat Matters is an emerging platform that intertwines within the three focus areas.

    As Ei enters the Era of Impact (June 2024 – present,) gears shift to a new business model, Ei Educates. Though education was always integral to Ei’s important work, the  primary focus was on projects, pilots, and initiatives supported by Ei Partners. The Regeneration Era focus areas carry over into the Era of Impact.

    The Holly Elmore Images Rewilding Urban Landscapes-album folder documents two active pilots: the Native-Plant Landscape Pilot and the Backyard Permaculture-Oriented Pilot. The Ei Pilots serve as an educational program.

    MISSION:
    To work with industry leaders to create best regenerative operating practices where the entire value-chain benefits, including corporate bottom lines, communities, and the environment. Through education and collaboration, establish best practices as standard practices.

    Ei’s tagline – Regeneration in ACTION – is the foundation for Ei endeavors.

    The following mantra is at the core of Ei work:

    Ei is a creator, an incubator.
    Ei determines what could be done that is not being done and gets it done.
    Ei brings the possible out of impossible.
    Ei identifies pioneers and creates heroes.

    For additional information, contact Holly Elmore at 404-510-9336 | holly@earth-impact.org.

    Saturday, January 18, 2025

    Welcome Marina A. Olmos to the Ei Advisory Council

    On January 18, 2025 Marina A. Olmos officially joined the Earth Impact (Ei) Advisory Council!

    According to her bio, Marina is an architect with three masters in Lighting Design, in Building Installations with Energy Efficiency, and in Sustainable and Circular Construction. An important part of her career has taken place in Spain, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, dedicated to both, architecture and education, as architect, project manager and lecturer. Marina resides in Murcia, Spain.

    Marina will serve as a valuable expert when Ei endeavors integrate within the built environment.

    Regenerative Working Group
    Immediately, Marina joined the Ei Regenerative Working Group (RWG) to contribute her insights and perspectives during the evolution within the recently launched Ei Era of Impact.

    Ei Eras flow within seven-year cycles: Era of Recycling Refinement (2010 inception - June 2017,) Era of Regeneration (June 2017 - June 2024,) and Era of Impact (June 2024 - June 2031.)

    The Era of Impact emerged as the Ei business model evolved away from projects, pilots, and initiatives and to Ei Educates.

    Within the Ei Educates-business model, Ei embraces three focus areas/concepts: Collective ConsciousnessSoil & Water: the foundation of life, and What We Eat Matters.

    RWG's global-thought-leadership roots align perfectly with the Ei Educates business model and the new focus areas/concepts.

    The RiA Magazine article, Era of Impact, welcomes the Era of Impact and gives a synopsis of the prior eras.

    Once within the Era of Impact, the RWG Executive Team decided to cleanse membership of inactive members and embark on recruitment of diverse professionals eager to participate in global-thought leadership. The original RWG tagline remains exceptionally valid:

    Global thought leaders supporting complete and equitable communities.

    With her expertise in sustainable architecture, Marina provides a perspective on the built environment that complements the RWG members' impressive experience as scientists, urban planners, economists, and entrepreneurs.

    The RiA Magazine article, Regenerative Working Group: growth and evolution, chronicles the RWG formation and history, growth over the years, and the current evolutionary stage.

    Ei Asta-Ja Nepal Taskforce
    In January 2024, fellow Ei Advisor Durga Poudel, Ph.D. published the acclaimed book, Asta-Ja for Prosperity, Pride, and National Integrity, as a compilation of his over-a-dozen articles and papers on the Asta-Ja Framework. At the October monthly Ei RWG meeting, Durga shared the Asta-Ja Framework featuring his book with his fellow Ei Advisors. By popular demand, the November RWG meeting topic was a Q&A with Durga.

    The Asta-Ja Nepal Vision 2040 aims to elevate Nepal at the par of a developed nation by 2040 utilizing the Asta-Ja Framework. The Vision showcases how the Asta-Ja Resources transform the abundant challenges into an empowering reality.

    As a welcome to 2025, Ei established the Ei Asta-Ja Nepal Taskforce to serve as a bridge from academic papers and philosophies into full and complete implementation of Asta-Ja: Nepal Vision 2040. The taskforce will serve as a guiding force within the Era of the Implementation of the Asta-Ja Framework.

    The December 2024 RiA Magazine article, Asta-Ja: Nepal Vision 2040, published with an overview of the Asta-Ja Framework and a commitment to launch the Ei Asta-Ja Nepal Taskforce in early 2025.

    Marina is a founding member of the Ei Asta-Ja Nepal Taskforce executive team.

    LAI Global Water-Land Series Group
    As the Lambda Alpha International (LAI) Global Water-Land Series Group (Group) Co-Chair, Ei Founder & CEO Holly Elmore invited Marina to join the Group. 

    Marina is the lead for the May/June 2025 global webinar, Devasting Impacts of Increased Global Flooding. Still in the planning stages, the probable topics are:
    • River flooding – Valencia, Spain floods last fall
    • Coastal flooding – US Eastern Coast (NY, Boston, Baltimore as potential locations)
    • Glacial lake flooding – ancient Himalayan villages located along glacial lakes are flooding due to the increased glacial melt. During his two-week Nepal visit in March, Durga will secure an appropriate Nepali expert.
    With her long-term commitment to LAI - five-years on the LAI Global Executive Committee, LAI Atlanta Chapter Board member, and the LAI FL Suncoast Chapter Founding President, Holly serves as Marina's LAI mentor. Marina serves on the LAI Madrid Chapter Board as Secretary.

    LAI is the honorary global network for thought leaders in all fields related to the preservation and sustainable development of land.

    Ei is honored to welcome Marina A. Olmos to the Advisory Council and work with her on a variety of endeavors.

    __________________________________________

     Tax-deductible donations in any amount are greatly appreciated to support Ei's important work. 


    About Earth Impact:
    Earth Impact (formerly Elemental Impact) (Ei) is a 501(c)3 non-profit founded in 2010 as the home to the Zero Waste Zones, the forerunner in the nation for the commercial collection of food waste for compost. In June 2017, Ei announced the Era of Recycling Refinement was Mission Accomplished and entered the Era of Regeneration (June 2017 - June 2024). Focus areas included Nature PrevailsSoil Health | Regenerative Agriculture, and Water Use | Toxicity.

    The Regeneration in ACTION Magazine articles, From Organic Certification to Regenerative Agriculture to Rewilding Landscapes: an evolution towards soil integrity and SOIL & WATER: the foundation of life, published to explain and substantiate the importance of Ei’s rewilding urban landscapes work within the Nature Prevails focus area. What We Eat Matters is an emerging platform that intertwines within the three focus areas.

    As Ei enters the Era of Impact (June 2024 – present,) gears shift to a new business model, Ei Educates. Though education was always integral to Ei’s important work, the  primary focus was on projects, pilots, and initiatives supported by Ei Partners. The Regeneration Era focus areas carry over into the Era of Impact.

    The Holly Elmore Images Rewilding Urban Landscapes-album folder documents two active pilots: the Native-Plant Landscape Pilot and the Backyard Permaculture-Oriented Pilot. The Ei Pilots serve as an educational program.

    MISSION:
    To work with industry leaders to create best regenerative operating practices where the entire value-chain benefits, including corporate bottom lines, communities, and the environment. Through education and collaboration, establish best practices as standard practices.

    Ei’s tagline – Regeneration in ACTION – is the foundation for Ei endeavors.

    The following mantra is at the core of Ei work:

    Ei is a creator, an incubator.
    Ei determines what could be done that is not being done and gets it done.
    Ei brings the possible out of impossible.
    Ei identifies pioneers and creates heroes.

    Uploading: 56659 of 56659 bytes uploaded.
    For additional information, contact Holly Elmore at 404-510-9336 | holly@earth-impact.org.



    Saturday, January 4, 2025

    Regenerative Working Group: growth and evolution

    Within the COVID pandemic-imposed severe-lifestyle shifts, then Elemental Impact hosted the inaugural Regenerative Working Group (RWG) monthly call in April 2020.

    Along with Founder & CEO Holly Elmore, Elemental Impact Advisors Bernadette Austin, then UC Davis Center for Regional Change Executive Director, Brad Bass, a 30-year veteran at Environment and Climate Change Canada as well as a Status Professor at the University of Toronto, Tim Trefzer, then Georgia World Congress Center Director of Sustainability, and Ron Thomas, renowned urban planner, retired joined the inaugural call. Shortly thereafter, Simon Lamb, economist and Junglenomics author, joined the group.

    Originally formed as the Global Regenerative Land Economics Initiatives (GRLEI) within the auspice of Lambda Alpha International, the RWG intentions were to broaden definitions of land economics to include environmental and social equity considerations and implications. The inaugural RWG members were LAI members.

    LAI is the honorary global network for thought leaders in all fields related to the preservation and sustainable development of land.

    To maximize impact, the GRLEI was moved under Elemental Impact's umbrella of initiatives and renamed the RWG. If not already member, new RWG participants accepted a LAI-member nomination. As Holly served on the LAI Executive Committee, an unofficial relationship between the RWG and LAI was maintained.

    Early RWG Structure
    The inaugural RWG Executive Team crafted the RWG Vision, the Focus Areas, and Commitment as follows:

    Vision: to explore challenges related to stated focus areas from a holistic approach where the community, environment, and local economies benefit from commentary, discussions, and proposed projects.

    The RWG seeks to be a thought leader in supporting complete and equitable communities.

    Focus Areas:
    • Infrastructure – explores the built environment including a city’s water & sewer systems, water-treatment plants, public utilities, as well as corporate, government, and educational districts | campuses. Additionally, focus is on the availability of and access to affordable housing within a community.
    • Environmental Resources – explores the impact of existing and proposed projects and infrastructure within urban and rural communities on energy sources, soil health, local greenways, open spaces, waterways, and resident access.
    • Social Equity – explores ways to promote complete communities that include equitable access to housing, transportation and transit, education, employment, human services such as healthcare and safety, and other amenities such as parks. 
    These complete communities balance land uses focused on people, (such as commercial and residential land uses), with natural and working land uses such as open space, waterways, farms, and ranches.

    Commitment: the RWG is committed to action, whether in the form of drafting educational documentation (articles, white papers, website copy), global webinars, and/or projects designed for community impact. RWG members must actively participate.

    The Regeneration in ACTION (RiA) Magazine article, Global Thought Leaders Embrace Regenerative Land Economics, details the vision, scope, and challenges & impact for each of the three focus areas. Prepared by RWG intern Jahin Kahn, the RWG  PPT presentation was designed to support the introductory blog article.

    Global Webinars. Interview, & Tour
    On July 23, 2020, Brad joined the LAI Global Webinar Pandemic Awakening  featuring local and international authorities on epidemiology, the environment, and macroeconomics; Brad spoke on the environmental impact from pandemic quarantines and subsequent reopening of businesses, schools, and the community as a whole.

    Ei Advisor Stephanie Barger, Green Building Council Director of Market Transformation, joined fellow Advisors and RWG members Tim and Simon for the May 25, 2023 Environmental Stewardship: the business perspective global webinar; the webinar was hosted by the Temple of Understanding's Eco Justice for ALL (EJFA) Dialogues and moderated by Holly.

    The RiA Magazine article, Environmental Stewardship: the business perspective, gives a synopsis of the empowering webinar; the entire dialogue is available on YouTube at this LINK.

    In addition, EJFA produced a 36-minute dialogue with Simon, Junglenomics: Nature’s Solutions to the World Environment Crisis, for their YouTube channel.

    Effective January 2024, Holly accepted the position of LAI Global Water-Land Series Group (Group) Co-Chair. Immediately, Holly orchestrated the Introduction to Water and Land Economics Global LAI Webinar hosted on June 13, 2024.

    Panelists included Professor Jay Lund, Ph.D., Vice Director, Center for Watershed Sciences & UC Davis Distinguished Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Steve Suau, P.E., Consultant at Carbon Life, and Brad. Jay is invited to join the RWG and at the time Steve was an Ei Advisor and RWG member.

    The RiA Magazine article, Introduction to Water and Land Economics, provides an in-depth overview of the webinar; the entire webinar is available for viewing on the LAI YouTube page at this LINK.

    On May 17, 2024 an entourage of RWG members visited the 4Roots Farm Campus (4Roots) in Orlando to learn about their innovative approach to food production and distribution as well as their recently launched Culinary Health Institute.

    The RiA Magazine article, Ei Tours Resume with 4Roots Campus Tour, provides an overview of the inspiring tour; the Holly Elmore Images-photo gallery, 05-17-24 4Roots Farm Campus Tour, provides a pictorial recount of the 4Roots tour. 

    Growth
    After residing in Atlanta for 40 years, Holly returned to her hometown, Sarasota, FL in 2021. Simultaneously, the RWG embarked on an evolutionary process with global-thought leadership the predominant focus. 
    May 17 RWG Tour Group

    With the LAI Global Initiatives official launch in 2023, LAI addresses many of the original GRLEI / RWG focus areas within its various subcommittees; the Group Holly Co-Chairs is a Global Initiatives subcommittee. Thus, it was time for the RWG to reconvene within its global-thought leadership roots.

    Upon discovering that they lived a mere hour apart in Florida, Table2Farms (T2F) Visionary & Founder Bridgett Luther and Holly reunited and rekindled their close bond. Bridgett and Holly originally met at the 2015 National Zero Waste Business Conference hosted in Los Angeles. In April 2023, Bridgett joined the the RWG as well as the Ei Advisory Council, and Holly serves as a T2F Principal.

    Ringling College of Art & Design Professor of Environmental Studies and Planetary Ethicist Tim Rumage joined the RWG as well as the Ei Advisory Council in May 2023. Tim is instrumental in guiding the RWG evolution.

    Era of Impact
    On July 11, 2024, Holly signed the trademark-transfer documents and released the use of Elemental Impact to an independent third party. Signing the documents was Holly's final act as Elemental Impact Founder & CEO.

    Immediately upon execution of the trademark-transfer documents, Ei stepped into an evolved persona, Earth Impact (Ei)!

    With perfect timing, the Elemental Impact-trademark transfer marked the end of the Era of Regeneration and the entry into the Era of Impact!

    Ei Eras flow within seven-year cycles: Era of Recycling Refinement (2010 inception - June 2017,) Era of Regeneration (June 2017 - June 2024,) and Era of Impact (June 2024 - June 2031.)

    Thus, the Era of Impact emerged as the Ei business model evolved away from projects, pilots, and initiatives and to Ei Educates.

    Within the Ei Educates-business model, Ei embraces three focus areas/concepts: Collective Consciousness, Soil & Water: the foundation of life, and What We Eat Matters.

    RWG's global-thought-leadership roots align perfectly with the Ei Educates business model and the new focus areas/concepts.

    The RiA Magazine article, Era of Impact, welcomes the Era of Impact and gives a synopsis of the prior eras.

    Evolution
    Once within the Era of Impact, the RWG Executive Team decided to cleanse membership of inactive members and embark on recruitment of diverse professionals eager to participate in global-thought leadership. The original RWG tagline remains exceptionally valid:

    Global thought leaders supporting complete and equitable communities.

    Charles & Durga at the
    Nov 15 event
    Within weeks of the decisions, the RWG and Ei Advisory Council welcomed Durga Poudel, Ph.D., Professor and Coordinator of Environmental Science Program, Director of Ag. Auxiliary Units, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Louisiana, USA. 

    In January 2024, Durga published the acclaimed book, Asta-Ja for Prosperity, Pride, and National Integrity, as a compilation of his over-a-dozen articles and papers on the Asta-Ja Framework. At the October monthly RWG, Durga shared the Asta-Ja Framework with his fellow Ei Advisors. By popular demand, the November RWG meeting topic was a Q&A with Durga. At the December meeting, the RWG committed to supporting Asta-Ja via the 2025 formation of the Ei Asta-Ja Nepal Taskforce.

    On November 15, 2024 Durga was inducted into LAI by fellow Ei Advisor Charles Reith, Ph.D., a LAI FL Suncoast Chapter member, at an impressive event hosted at University of Louisiana, Lafayette. After Charles' introduction and his induction ceremony, Durga gave a superb presentation on A Journey to Ecological and Environmental Sustainability based on the Asta-Ja Framework he developed over the past decades.

    The RiA article, Asta-Ja: Nepal Vision 2040. celebrates Durga's LAI-member induction, gives an overview of his impressive presentation, and introduces Nepal Vision 2040.

    For additional and in-depth information on development of the Asta-Ja Framework, view Durga's November 15 A Journey to Ecological and Environmental Sustainability recorded presentation; Durga's PPT presentation is available at this LINK.

    In early November, LAI Madrid Chapter member Marina A. Olmos, a renowned architect who focusses on sustainable design and building practices, joined the RWG and Ei Advisory Council. 

    As of January 2024, the Ei RWG Executive Team consists of the following members:
    1. Bernadette Austin, CivicWell CEO
    2. Brad Bass, Ph.D., Senior Policy Analyst, Employment and Social Development Canada
    3. Bridgett Luther, Table2Farms Founder & Visionary
    4. Durga Poudel, Ph.D, Professor at University of Louisiana at Lafayette
    5. Holly Elmore, Earth Impact Founder & CEO
    6. Marina A. Olmos, aLL Global Project Management Partner
    7. Ron Thomas, renowned urban planner, retired 
    8. Simon Lamb, economist and Junglenomics author
    9. Tim Rumage, Ringling College of Art & Design Professor of Environmental Studies 
    The RWG goal is 12-, yet no more than 15-, active members.

    With renewed and evolved vigor, the Ei Regenerative Working Group is staged for tremendous successes within the Era of Impact.

    __________________________________________

     Tax-deductible donations in any amount are greatly appreciated to support Ei's important work. 


    About Earth Impact:
    Earth Impact (formerly Elemental Impact) (Ei) is a 501(c)3 non-profit founded in 2010 as the home to the Zero Waste Zones, the forerunner in the nation for the commercial collection of food waste for compost. In June 2017, Ei announced the Era of Recycling Refinement was Mission Accomplished and entered the Era of Regeneration (June 2017 - June 2024). Focus areas included Nature PrevailsSoil Health | Regenerative Agriculture, and Water Use | Toxicity.

    The Regeneration in ACTION Magazine articles, From Organic Certification to Regenerative Agriculture to Rewilding Landscapes: an evolution towards soil integrity and SOIL & WATER: the foundation of life, published to explain and substantiate the importance of Ei’s rewilding urban landscapes work within the Nature Prevails focus area. What We Eat Matters is an emerging platform that intertwines within the three focus areas.

    As Ei enters the Era of Impact (June 2024 – present,) gears shift to a new business model, Ei Educates. Though education was always integral to Ei’s important work, the  primary focus was on projects, pilots, and initiatives supported by Ei Partners. The Regeneration Era focus areas carry over into the Era of Impact.

    The Holly Elmore Images Rewilding Urban Landscapes-album folder documents two active pilots: the Native-Plant Landscape Pilot and the Backyard Permaculture-Oriented Pilot. The Ei Pilots serve as an educational program.

    MISSION:
    To work with industry leaders to create best regenerative operating practices where the entire value-chain benefits, including corporate bottom lines, communities, and the environment. Through education and collaboration, establish best practices as standard practices.

    Ei’s tagline – Regeneration in ACTION – is the foundation for Ei endeavors.

    The following mantra is at the core of Ei work:

    Ei is a creator, an incubator.
    Ei determines what could be done that is not being done and gets it done.
    Ei brings the possible out of impossible.
    Ei identifies pioneers and creates heroes.

    For additional information, contact Holly Elmore at 404-510-9336 | holly@earth-impact.org.