Building Soil Security via Rewilding Urban Landscapes

In March 2023, Earth Impact (Ei) Founder & CEO Holly Elmore announced the Ei Rewilding Rewilding Urban Landscape Pilots via a Regeneration in ACTION (RiA) article by the same name. The intro sections of this article are derived from the referenced 2023 article.

Front-yard Native Plant Landscape Pilot
Photo credit: Holly Elmore Images

Beyond regenerative agriculture and landscape practices, rewilding land restores the natural ecosystem that evolved over thousands of years. Rewilding land requires the restoration of native plants and cultivates food for indigenous insects. Strong insect populations are the foundation for restoring wildlife-predator/prey hierarchies that once thrived prior to human intrusion.

Inherent within rewilding urban landscapes are three primary benefits: 

• Restoration of vibrant soil ecosystems and urban-wildlife populations; production of nutritious food destined for wildlife and humans.
• Drawdown of carbon from the atmosphere into the soils via plant photosynthesis.
• Establishment of food-secure neighborhoods within a community.

Homegrown National Park
Via his recent book, Bringing Nature Home, how you can sustain wildlife with native plants, Doug announces his Homegrown National Park (HNP) initiative in partnership with Michelle Alfandari, business development consultant, entrepreneur, small business owner, and retimer.

HNP is a grass roots call-to-action to regenerate biodiversity. According to Doug,

“In the past, we have asked one thing of our gardens: that they be pretty. Now they have to support life, sequester carbon, feed pollinators, and manage water.”

National awareness is HNP's product along with a request for the below actions on the more than 40-million acres of private lawn in the United States:

1. Reduce lawns.
2. Plant more native plants.
3. Remove invasive and/or non-native plants.

The What's the Rush 24-minute video by Doug is a superb overview of the critical status of the insect population along with simple lifestyle changes by individuals that collectively make a huge difference.

Permaculture-Oriented Landscapes (POL)
In the previously referenced video, What's the Rush?, Doug refers to POL as ecological landscapes with the following four purposes:

• 

  Banana compost circle
  Photo credit: Holly Elmore Images
  

  Support food webs, human and wildlife.
• Sequester carbon.
• Clean and manage water.
• Support pollinators.

Ei partners with Zach Zildjian Design Services (ZZ Design) on promoting POL. Per Zach Zildjian, an ecological landscaper, POL have three main components:

• Food forest (perennial food production.)
• Vegetable & herb gardens (annual food production.)
• Compost of landscape debris as well as home-food waste.

Ei Rewilding Urban Landscape Pilots

When she returned to her hometown, Sarasota, Florida, after residing in Atlanta for four decades, Holly dedicated her nearly 8,500-square-foot yard to two rewilding pilots. 

The Holly Elmore Images (HEI) Ei Rewilding Urban Landscapes album documents the pilots' progress in a series of photo galleries.

Ei Native-Plant-Landscape Pilot
Native-plant landscapes provide urban wildlife access to food and habitat. When "cide-*" free, native-plant landscapes provide wildlife a safe haven amid urban life filled with buildings, roadways, and often sterile and/or toxic open areas.

Local wildlife evolved to thrive on native foliage and, in general, do not eat or nest in non-native plants. Additionally, many non-native plants are invasive and choke out native plants, further challenging urban wildlife.

2021 Installation Day
Photo credit: Holly Elmore Images

Holly's front yard was designated for only native plants with a focus on food and habitat for local urban wildlife. First steps included removing the non-native, decorative plants from prior residents and smothering the existing grass.

Pamela Callender of Lifelines consulted, designed, purchased the plants, and installed the native-plant landscape on November 18 & 19, 2021.

The HEI album, Ei Native-Plant-Landscape Pilot, documents the the front-yard evolution through a series of photo galleries.

* "cides" are defined as herbicides, pesticides, insecticides, and fungicides.

Ei Backyard-Permaculture Pilot

The backyard pilot follows POL practices with an emphasis on human-food-producing plants. A food-waste-compost circle surrounded by banana trees is integral to the design. Thus, the general rule for the backyard landscape: any non-native plants must produce human food and/or provide direct soil-ecosystem benefit.

Food forest post-maintenance
Photo credit: Holly Elmore Images

While the front-yard landscape is strictly native plants and was installed over a two-day period, the backyard pilot is an evolutionary process. For nearly nine months, the backyard was permitted to return to its "wild state" with abundant plant diversity; a variety of happy insects frolicked in the knee-high grass infiltrated with flowering plants.

Beginning in early 2021, the backyard was slowly "tamed" with mulched paths, a banana compost circle, a row of native-blueberry bushes under the roof dripline, a pollinator garden, a food forest, and a raised herb-garden area with sun protection. Once the invasive carrotwood tree was removed, the south-side yard was opened to ample sunshine and prepped for a vegetable, herb, and edible-flower garden.

No herbicides or soil tilling were used in the taming process; Holly hand-weeded the majority of the areas before prepping for its destination.

The HEI album, Ei Backyard-Permaculture Landscape Pilot, documents the backyard's evolution through a series of photo galleries.

Pilot Evolution
Since their 2021 and 2022 respective installations, the Pilots evolved via the original plants thriving and reseeding themselves along with planting additional foliage. Urban wildlife discovered the urban oasis and thrive with abundant food and ample habitat for nurturing the next generation.

The food forest and surrounding gardens
support healthy soil ecosystems.
Photo credit: Holly Elmore Images

Located on Florida's Central Gulf, Sarasota experiences extreme weather events from severe drought to floods and destruction from tropical storms and hurricanes. Thus, healthy soil ecosystems are critical to the Pilots for survival within droughts, hurricane-force winds, and torrential rain. 

Regular maintenance days scheduled several times annually include mulch and natural fertilizers (fish emulsion, liquid kelp seaweed, worm castings, compost, and other natural products) applications, pruning, and new-plant installations are essential to nurturing healthy soil ecosystems. Daily maintenance includes weeding to keep invasive species at bay, hydration as necessary, and general observation of plant health.

2024 Hurricane Trilogy

The second half of the 2024 hurricane season was brutal to Florida's Gulf Coast: three hurricanes - Debby, Helene, and Milton - made landfall in two months, with Helene and Milton less than two weeks apart. Each hurricane wreaked havoc with different flavors of destruction.

Fallen oak tree branch from Milton
Photo credit: Holly Elmore Images

The Pilots are located three miles inland from Sarasota Bay and were directly impacted by the three hurricanes.

With their own personality and parameters, Hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton arrived in and left the Sarasota region with unique damage and destruction.

Debby, a rain event
In early August, then Tropical Storm Debby brought 18 inches of rain to Holly's backyard, flooding the lower-yard levels yet not her home. Two weeks earlier a low-pressure system ended the severe drought with 16 inches of rain in two days. Thus, the area ground was saturated when Debby's rain arrived. Within a day or so, all water dispensed by Debby was absorbed into the healthy soils.

Note Debby remained a tropical storm when she visited the Sarasota area and later garnered the energy to segue into a hurricane.

Helene, a storm-surge event
On September 26, Hurricane Helene moved north through the Gulf around 100 miles off the Florida Central Gulf Coast. Predictions included 4 - 7 feet of storm surge on the Sarasota barrier islands and bay-front coastline. Due to Helene's 100-mile distance offshore, many were surprised when the storm surge arrived as predicted; the storm surge completely flooded the barrier islands and dropped tremendous volumes of sand on roadways and in homes and businesses. The destruction was devastating.

In Sarasota, minimal rain accompanied Helene with Holly recording approximately two inches of rain at her home. Thus, Helene left minimal impact on the Pilots.

Milton, a wind event
At 8:30 pm on October 9, Milton made landfall on the southern portion of Siesta Key, one of Sarasota's barrier islands, as a Category 3 storm; two days earlier Milton rapidly intensified into a Category 5 hurricane breaking records as one of the most powerful storms in the Atlantic basin. Holly's home is less than ten miles from the landfall point.

Hurricane-wind ravaged garden
Photo credit: Holly Elmore Images

For nearly an hour, Milton's eye hovered over the Sarasota region gifting residents with the surreal silence inherent within the eye of a hurricane.

Though the area lost tremendous elder tree cover, the predicted obliteration of the Sarasota barrier islands did not manifest. A good portion of the region was without power for a week or more.

The HEI gallery, 2024 Hurricane Trilogy, documents that significant damage to the Pilots by Milton. Yet, the damage did not compare to the nearby destruction experienced by Suncoast residents.

2025 Pilots Maintenance
Six months after surviving the ravage of the 2024 Hurricane Trilogy, the Pilots were ready for serious maintenance as well as new plant additions. The maintenance timed perfectly with the three-year anniversary of the food forest planting.

The HEI gallery, 2025 Rewilding Pilots Maintenance, documents the profound maintenance. For most of the photo series, images are in reverse chronological order, beginning with post-maintenance, followed by pre-maintenance, and completed with the initial installation. It was inspiring to witness the evolution of the Pilots, both from hurricane resiliency and maturation.

Inspiration 

Pollinator Garden in POL Pilot
Photo credit: Holly Elmore Images

Ei introduced the Ei Rewilding Urban Landscapes Pilots to inspire others to build soil security via rewilding their yards and other urban landscapes.

Though Ei no longer hosts formal Pilot tours, individuals often request private tours for inspiration on what can be done in their yards or to simply bask in the magical energy. Holly frequently gifts seeds and seedlings to fellow local gardeners who always exchange with bounty from their abundant yards.

Though the pilots were complete yard transformations, Ei supports taking small, manageable steps; it is important to take whatever steps flow for the individual or organization. Celebrate successes, share with friends and family, and join the Homegrown National Park!

_______________________________________

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

DONATE HERE

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 Prevails, Soil Health | Regenerative Agriculture, and Water Use | Toxicity.

The Regeneration in ACTION (RiA) 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.

With the publishing of the March 2025 RiA Magazine article, Water Security: a pending to realized crisis, the Water Use | Toxicity platform evolved into the Water Security platform.

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.

I AM Humanity

On October 28, I AM HUMANITY hosted the first annual Humanity Day, a virtual celebration complemented with an in-person event hosted at the  Unitarian Universalists of Sarasota; the well attended Sarasota event honored local environmental leadership for their important work.

Humanity Day panel discussion
Photo courtesy of Holly Elmore Images

Within an excellent panel discussion, Elemental Impact (Ei) Advisor Charles Reith showcased the environmental and community impact of the Suncoast Urban Reforesters microforests. Fellow Ei Advisors Tim Rumage, Ringling School of Art and Design Professor of Environmental Studies, and Sandy Gilbert, Solutions to Avoid Red Tide Chair, as well as Ei Founder & CEO Holly Elmore attended the in-person event.

For the virtual celebration, Holly was interviewed regarding Ei's decades-long impact and her personal philosophies. The 12-minute-interview video is available on Vimeo for viewing.

Introductions
After introducing Ei, Holly gave an overview of current endeavors in the discovery/pre-launch stage that extend beyond Ei Rewilding Urban Landscapes:

• 

  Photo courtesy of the CIEL

  Invasive Species – focus on invasive species as a tasty food source by working with the established food manufacturing and distribution systems; restore ecological health while providing nutrition to the growing human population.
• Micro | Nanoplastics in soils – issued in 2022, the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) Sowing a Plastic Planet: How Microplastics in Agrochemicals Are Affecting Our Soils, Our Food, and Our Future report established the tremendous amount of micro and nanoplastics in our soils from time-released fertilizers and pesticides; work with residential and commercial landscaping nurseries on shifting practices away from using time-released products.
• Scaling-Up Composting in Sarasota – Ei serves as a Table2Farms industry expert during the organization’s funding stage; a Sarasota composting pilot spearheaded by Ei is in the budget within the first round of funding.

Keys to Success

When asked about the keys to Ei's proven success, Holly explained that her corporate (Arthur Andersen auditor and Trammell Crow Company controller) and entrepreneur (owner of two restaurants and an off-premises catering business) experiences play a critical role. As a business person and entrepreneur, Holly speaks in a voice that is heard by business executives, government officials, and respected scholars; Ei has an excellent track record with creating regenerative operating practices that make good, solid business sense, including bottom-line and intangible benefits. 

Another key to success is Holly's awareness of FLOW, knowing when to flow with a project’s progress, when to step to the sidelines when the flow ceases, and when to return to the flow. There are many examples of projects that "went to the sidelines" and flowed into tremendous impact when focused upon a few years later.

Collective Consciousness
As introduced in the Regeneration in ACTION (RiA) article, Collective Consciousness: a movement, a solution, working together in a holographic manner where ALL benefit is a must to ensure survival of humans as the predominant species on the Earth. 

Photo courtesy of Holly Elmore Images

In 2012, Ei introduced the WE Consciousness as a higher octave of the then tagline Sustainability in ACTION. When the "I" is replaced with "WE," the impact of our actions extends to the entire community and beyond; collective action accomplishes more profound results than singular effort. By working together, synergies are unlocked, unnecessary boundaries, including competitive barriers, disintegrate, and creative energies catapult possibilities into grounded realities.

The following initiatives showcase how the WE Consciousness naturally integrates within Ei's important work.

• Zero Waste is a Team Sport
• Food & Beverage Sustainable Packaging Value Chain Meetings
• Nature Prevails, the Earth will heal and renew herself, when she chooses.

In 2015 Ei Advisor Tim Rumage, a planetary ethicist, along with David Houle co-authored This Spaceship Earth. The book's premise compares the Earth to a spaceship where there are finite resources necessary for survival. To replenish resources for survival, humans must understand there is no waste, only the segue into the resource's next valuable use.

This Spaceship Earth introduces crew consciousness:

The critical difference between the spacecraft of the space programs and science fiction and Spaceship Earth is simply that: we live on a spaceship that must resupply itself from itself. This is why we need to recognize that we are crew not passengers.

When humans shift from the unaware passenger mentality to crew consciousness, the current wasteful-use-of-resources and polluting-the-planet practices will evolve into solutions for replenishing finite resources and cleansing the environment.

Marshall McLuhan succinctly states the crew-consciousness premise, “There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth, we are all crew.” … and the crew must work in unison for the spaceship to survive and once again thrive.

In alignment with the Nature Prevails premise, Tim emphasizes "We are not trying to save the earth - we are not trying to save the planet. We are trying to save ourselves from ourselves"

I AM Humanity is another derivative of building an empowering collective consciousness.

Worker Populations

Since recorded history, humans often developed out-of-balance dynamics within their culture where worker populations were disrespected and frequently abused. The current scenarios of extreme poverty, severe homelessness, and food scarcity prevalent across the globe impact many urban environments; the challenging scenarios reflect the unbalanced societal hierarchies established within cultural and government norms. If humans emulated insect- and animal-community protocol an equitable societal structure would emerge.

A gentleman sleeps on a 
sidewalk in Austin, TX
Photo courtesy of Holly Elmore Images

Societal hierarchies within bee and ant colonies, wolf packs, elephant herds, bird flocks, and other eusocial colonies demonstrate that the community is only as strong as the weakest link; as long as they perform their designated tasks within these eusocial colonies, the workers are treated fairly and with respect. When it maintains dynamic balance within their population and the other Principles of Nature* align, the community thrives.

In essence, water, soil, and insects are the foundation for life on the Earth and must be addressed as a trilogy. The RiA article, Nature Prevails: it is time to emulate Nature's perfected systems, establishes the trilogy.

In human societies, indigenous races and worker populations are comparative to the insects' role in nature's perfected cycles. Indigenous races carry the wisdom of their ancestors when humans lived in balance with Nature, respecting the resources generously provided by the Earth; the worker population provides the necessary labor for the overall population to thrive within the balance of basic essentials: food, shelter, and clothing.

* The Principles of Nature are defined in the referenced article, Nature Prevails: it is time to emulate Nature's perfected systems

A Renewed Earth

Ei book cover: From Macro 
to Micro to Nanoplastics 
Image courtesy of Holly Elmore Images

Within the current physical reality, it is impossible to clean up the challenges that humans created on the Earth. For example, it is not possible to clean-up the massive micro and nanoplastic pollution; nanoplastics segue through cell walls and cause yet-to-be-determined health hazards in the plant and animal kingdoms. 

Humans created a HUGE mess on the planet; a mess that the Earth will regenerate into evolved life systems yet most likely after humans are extinct or at least not the planet’s predominant species.

 

From Holly's perspective, collective consciousness is key to creating a renewed Earth. When the tipping point is reached of heart-based humans living on the Earth, collective consciousness will simply create a new reality based on the heart-based intentions of those humans participating.

 

With a collective consciousness movement underway. there is optimism for humanity's survival.

Back to Basics

In her closing remarks, Holly shared that it is time for humanity to get back to the basics. For Ei, the basics are Water, Soil, and the Microbial Communities integral to water and soil life systems. Holly often states the following quote during interviews:

We must, absolutely MUST, return our water and soil microbial communities back to a healthy, balanced state for life as we know it to survive and once again thrive on planet Earth.

 Another aspect of back to basics is taking care of and nurturing our worker populations, similar to ant and bee colonies. A community is only as strong and resilient as the health and happiness of its worker population. Humanity has a lot to learn from the eusocial species throughout the animal kingdom. 

 

Holly concluded her interview with a sincere thank you to I AM Humanity for their collective consciousness initiatives. As she bowed in reverence, Holly proclaimed " I AM Humanity."

_______________________________________

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

DONATE HERE

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 Prevails, Soil 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.

Collective Consciousness, a movement, a solution

As humanity toils with significant survival challenges - rising sea levels, extreme weather, diminished fresh 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.

Definitions
In 1893 collective consciousness was introduced as a concept by French sociologist Émile Durkheim in his The Division of Labour in Society paper. According to Nicki Lisa Cole, Ph.D. in her 2019 Collective Consciousness Definition essay for ThoughtCo., collective consciousness (sometimes collective conscience or conscious) is a fundamental sociological concept that refers to the set of shared beliefs, ideas, attitudes, and knowledge that are common to a social group or society.

Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Jung expanded on Durkheim's concepts in his 1916 essay, "The Structure of the Unconscious." Jung provided a distinction between the personal unconscious -  a reservoir of each individual's memories and experiences, and the collective unconscious - a more profound layer teeming with archetypes.*

The Meridian University July 2023 Understanding the Mystery of Collective Consciousness article gives a deeper dive into Durkheim's, Jung's, and Sigmund Freud's exploration of collective consciousness and collective unconsciousness.

For purposes of this article, collective consciousness is defined as an open-hearted approach to resolve challenges and create scenarios where ALL concerned are honored, treated with respect and of equal importance, and benefit from outcomes. The consciousness may encase the Earth in its entirety or a community working together on creative solutions. Additionally, the consciousness may be a family unit, organization, or company.

As previously stated, ALL is defined as the entire spectrum of living species and ecosystems as well as inanimate earth resources. ALL is the common ground in collective consciousness, no matter the extent of the consciousness definition.

The following sections give examples of how the ancient wisdom of collective consciousness is implemented within modern-day organizations.

* direct quote from The Meridian University article.

WE Consciousness
In 2012, Elemental Impact (Ei) introduced the WE Consciousness as a higher octave of the then tagline Sustainability in ACTION. When the "I" is replaced with "WE," the impact of our actions extends to the entire community and beyond; collective action accomplishes more profound results than singular effort. By working together, synergies are unlocked, unnecessary boundaries, including competitive barriers, disintegrate, and creative energies catapult possibilities into grounded realities.

The following initiatives showcase how the WE Consciousness naturally integrates within Ei's important work.

Zero Waste is a Team Sport
The 2012 Regeneration in ACTION (RiA) article, Zero Waste is a Team Sport, further defines the WE Consciousness within the context of implementing effective zero waste practices. The article details the three initial shifts necessary for zero waste to replace landfill waste:

• First, the "pay and forget" era is over; the consumer must take responsibility for the by-products generated from their activities and ensure materials are reused or recycled.
• Second, waste management is replaced by materials / by-products management. In nature there is no "waste"; it is time to emulate nature's perpetual life cycle systems.
• Third, the "I" focus is replaced with the "WE" focus. When ALL work together, seemingly miraculous results are common.

One of the Zero Waste Zones taglines was Collaboration is Key for Success.

Food & Beverage Packaging Value Chain Meeting
Each December from 2011 through 2014, Ei orchestrated an empowering meeting of executives from the trade associations and non-profits representing the entire food and beverage packaging value chain. For the final three years, Global Green USA graciously hosted the gathering at their Washington D.C. offices.

Group photo at final
F&B Packaging meeting

The National Restaurant Association (NRA) represented the purchasers of the packaging while the Foodservice Packaging Institute (FPI) membership consisted of the packaging manufacturers. The U.S. Composting Council members provided a sustainable solution for used product disposition. Additionally, GreenBlue's Sustainable Packaging Coalition, Institute for Local Self Reliance, Green Seal, BPI Compostable Packaging Certification, Keep America Beautiful, and Global Green participated in the annual meeting.

In early 2011, Ei Founder & CEO Holly Elmore attended the annual FPI conference as a speaker. With sustainable packaging emerging as an industry sector, Holly witnessed competition within the sector leaders when there were ample synergies. Thus, Holly orchestrated the inaugural Food & Beverage Packaging Value Chain Meeting in partnership with the NRA; the intention was to introduce the various industry leaders and support synergistic joint projects and endeavors.

At the 2014 meeting nearly every project presentation was a collaboration among the attendees. Thus, the Food & Beverage Packaging Value Chain Meeting mission was accomplished! It was heartwarming to announce that the 2014 meeting was the final gathering.

The RiA article, Sustainable F&B Packaging: moving from an emerging to a maturing industry, chronicles the final 2014 meeting and exemplifies the established collective consciousness.

Nature Prevails

Tree grows as one with a 
Havana, Cuba building
Photo credit: Holly Elmore Images

When Ei announced that the Era of Recycling Refinement was Mission Accomplished in June 2017 and entered the Era of Regeneration, Nature Prevails emerged as the predominant platform. The Nature Prevails tagline is The Earth will heal and renew herself, when she chooses.

From Ei's perspective, the Earth is perfectly fine within the calamitous scenarios caused by humans. When enough is enough, the Earth will simply rid herself of these pesky humans who wreak havoc on Nature's perfected systems; healing of the environment and renewal of life forms will follow.

Principles of Nature

With a commitment to align projects with Nature, Ei defined The Principles of Nature (PON) with three broad categories:

• Diversity
• Dynamic Balance & Nutrition Systems
• Necessity of Cover & Ability to Roam

Though they define natural systems, the PON also apply to human communities and cultures. For example, roadways, airports, and broadband communication align with the Ability to Roam; agriculture, the hospitality industry, and food-security challenges align with Nutrition Systems: social inequities, environmental justice, and severe poverty align with Dynamic Balance; affordable housing, homeless individuals, and urban neighborhoods align with the Necessity of Cover.

A gentleman sleeps on a
sidewalk in Austin, TX
Photo credit: Holly Elmore Images

Societal hierarchies within bee and ant colonies, wolf packs, elephant herds, bird flocks, and other eusocial colonies demonstrate that the community is only as strong as the weakest link; as long as they perform their designated tasks within these eusocial colonies, the workers are treated fairly and with respect. When it maintains dynamic balance within their population and the other PON align, the community thrives.

Since recorded history, humans often developed out-of-balance dynamics within their culture where worker populations were disrespected and frequently abused. The current scenarios of extreme poverty, severe homelessness, and food scarcity prevalent across the globe impact many urban environments; the challenging scenarios reflect the unbalanced societal hierarchies established within cultural and government norms.

Insects

Insects are the base of the predator-prey hierarchy, integral to the natural ecosystem foundation, and essential to supporting the Earth’s life web. Many insects, such as dragonflies and mosquitoes, live their juvenile or larva stage under water and their adult lives on land supporting plants and soil systems; aquatic larva is similar to a butterfly's caterpillar stage.

Honey bee on a
 butterfly pea blossom
Photo credit: Holly Elmore Images

Insects are food for fish, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and birds. In addition to recycling soil-system nutrients and pollinating plants, insects play an essential role in the decomposition portion of nature’s circular-life cycle. Insects provide a plethora of environmental services that often go unnoticed until the services cease.

In essence, water, soil, and insects are the foundation for life on Earth and must be addressed as a trilogy. The RiA article, Nature Prevails: it is time to emulate Nature's perfected systems, establishes the trilogy.

In human societies, indigenous races and worker populations are comparative to the insects' role in nature's perfected cycles. Indigenous races carry the wisdom of their ancestors when humans lived in balance with Nature, respecting the resources generously provided by the Earth; the worker population provides the necessary labor for the overall population to thrive within the balance of basic essentials: food, shelter, and clothing.

The WE Consciousness is integrated within the Nature Prevails platform as initiatives strive to restore balance and health to entire ecosystems, including manmade systems.

Crew Consciousness
In 2015 Ei Advisor Tim Rumage, planetary ethicist and the Professor of Environmental Studies at Ringling School of Art and Design, along with David Houle co-authored This Spaceship Earth. The book's premise compares the Earth to a spaceship where there are finite resources necessary for survival. To replenish resources for survival, humans must understand there is no waste, only the segue into the resource's next valuable use.

This Spaceship Earth introduces crew consciousness:

The critical difference between the spacecraft of the space programs and science fiction and Spaceship Earth is simply that: we live on a spaceship that must resupply itself from itself. This is why we need to recognize that we are crew not passengers.

When humans shift from the unaware passenger mentality to crew consciousness, the current wasteful-use-of-resources and polluting-the-planet practices will evolve into solutions for replenishing finite resources and cleansing the environment.

In alignment with the Nature Prevails premise, Tim emphasizes "We are not trying to save the earth - we are not trying to save the planet. We are trying to save ourselves from ourselves"

The popularity of the book spawned the launch of This Spaceship Earth, Inc. (TSE) a global environmental non-profit with Origina, the global leader in IBM software maintenance, as the lead corporate supporter.

Inspired by a "I did not know," common response to his presentations, Tim along with David and Bob Leonard published a free e-book, Now that You Know, that updates on the Earth's status, how we arrived at the current crisis point, and what we can do about it.

With a goal of one billion crew members, the TSE site boasts over 140,000 crew members from across the globe. On the Acting as Crew page, TSE provides the following guidelines on how to live within crew consciousness:

• We all need to lessen our carbon footprint. Greenhouse gas emissions are a primary cause of Climate Change.
• We all need to consume less stuff.  Mindless consumption puts stress on TSE.
• We need to move from a Growth Economy to a Spaceship Economy. Be mindful of what you buy, how it’s produced, and any waste that will remain after the product is used.
• Lower your entire footprint on TSE. Less is more.

Additionally, TSE details specific individual-action points within the following categories: transportation, food & diet, shopping, reduce plastics, home, and politics and activism.

A quote from Marshall McLuhan succinctly states TSE's message: 

"THERE ARE NO PASSENGERS ON SPACESHIP EARTH, WE ARE ALL CREW.”

I AM Humanity
On Saturday, October 28, 2023 I AM Humanity orchestrated the first annual Humanity Day Event. While the global event was virtual, a well-attended, in-person event was hosted in Sarasota, FL at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota. 

Humanity Day panel
Photo credit: Holly Elmore Images

At the in-person event, Ei Advisor Mary Ann Bowie was the master of ceremonies while Ei Advisor Charles Reith served as a panelist during the impressive program. I AM Humanity Board member Susan Hoskins interviewed Holly and Tim as part of the virtual event's presentations.

As detailed on the I AM Humanity website:

Mission:

I AM HUMANITY - is a catalyst and a clearing house; creating the language for a cultural conversation which causes a tipping point, a societal shift, shifting a global conversation from “me” to “we”.

WE ARE I AM HUMANITY - A clearing house and catalyst for the flourishing of humanity and our common home.

Goals:

• We reach 4 billion people.
• We provide branding, “The Green Treatment”, that promotes and nourishes the flourishing of humanity.
• We spotlight organizations, non-profits, volunteers, celebrities, foundations, and youth who are engaged in programs, activities and events that are expanding the flourishing of humanity.
• We provide speaking engagements that share and educate about the flourishing of humanity, and what’s available when you declare “I AM HUMANITY”.
• We have ambassadors and representation in every state, in every country, who highlight local groups and events, such that those groups are aligned under the umbrella of I AM HUMANITY as PARTNERS FOR HUMANITY. 

From the health of an individual to the vibrancy of humanity.

From the individual's education to the consciousness of humanity.

From the success of one to the success of all.

The movement to promote and embrace Collective Consciousness by diverse organizations and communities provides hope for viable solutions within humanity's challenging scenario.

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

DONATE HERE

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 Prevails, Soil 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.

Atala Butterflies Return from Near Extinction

Since the 1970’s the Earth’s insect population suffered severe population declines as well as loss of diversity. The NY Times 2018 article, The Insect Apocalypse Is Here. What does it mean for the rest of life on Earth?, reported: 

The German study found that, measured simply by weight, the overall abundance of flying insects in German nature reserves had decreased by 75 percent over just 27 years. If you looked at midsummer population peaks, the drop was 82 percent.

An Atala butterfly emerges from its cocoon
Photo credit: Holly Elmore Images

According to the November 2019 Somerset Wildlife Trust Insect Declines and Why They Matter Report by Professor Dave Goulson, 41% of insect species are threatened with extinction.

Though the overall insect-population is in a dire state, there are ample success stories of species restoration. A common contributing factor to success stories is the growing trend of replacing non-native ornamental plants with native flora and greenery in residential, commercial, and community landscapes. The 2021 RiA Magazine article, Urban Carbon Sinks: Rewilding Urban Landscapes, introduces the Holocene extinction, the Insect Apocalypse, and how rewilding urban landscapes may avoid catastrophe.

Homegrown National Park
The December 2022 RiA Magazine article, Soil & Water: the foundation of life, features award-winning author and renowned entomologist Doug Tallamy's Homegrown National Park  (HNP.)

HNP is a grass roots call-to-action to regenerate biodiversity. According to Doug,

“In the past, we have asked one thing of our gardens: that they be pretty. Now they have to support life, sequester carbon, feed pollinators, and manage water.”

National awareness is HNP's product along with a request for the below actions on the more than 40-million acres of private lawn in the United States:

1. Reduce lawns.
2. Plant more native plants.
3. Remove invasive and/or non-native plants.

The What's the Rush 24-minute video by Doug is a superb overview of the critical status of the insect population along with simple lifestyle changes by individuals that collectively make a huge difference.

Success Story

The once abundant Atala butterflies were thought to be extinct from the 1930’s until 1959 when a few specimens were discovered. In 1979, a colony of Atala butterflies was found on an island off the Miami Coast. It is likely that the current population are descendants of the island butterflies.

Atala butterfly cocoons
Photo credit: Holly Elmore Images

Like the Monarch butterfly’s relationship with the milkweed plant, the Atala butterfly has a symbiotic relationship with the coontie palm; the female only lays eggs on the coontie palm. Thus, when early Florida settlers overharvested the coontie palm for its starchy root, the Atala butterfly population declined and disappeared along with its host plant.

With its recent popularity as a native ornamental plant in Florida landscapes, the abundant urban coonties support healthy populations of the once nearly extinct Atala butterfly.

The Elemental Impact (Ei) Rewilding Urban Landscapes Pilots contain three coonties, one in the front-yard native-plant landscape and two within the backyard food forest. This summer Zach Zildjian, the pilots’ curator, noticed a female Atala butterfly laying eggs on one of the food forest coonties. 

Over the next weeks, Ei Founder & CEO Holly Elmore documented the transformation of ravenous caterpillars into the chrysalis stage along with their emergence as magnificent butterflies. With perfect timing, Holly captured one Atala literally emerging from its cocoon. The Holly Elmore Images (HEI) album, Atala butterflies return from near extinction, gives a pictorial recount of the magical experience.

Coontie Palm
Once abundant in South Florida the coontie palm (Zamia integrifolia) supported a healthy Atala butterfly population. Poisonous in its unaltered states, the coontie palm gifts the Atala caterpillars and butterflies a natural protection from predators via their poisonous state.

Coontie in the Ei Rewilding Pilot
Photo credit: Holly Elmore Images

Often called a fossil plant, the coontie palm is a cycad, an ancient plant group that thrived along with the dinosaurs during the Jurassic Period; most likely, the cycads were a predominant food source for the many herbivores. According to a 2011 Berkeley News article, cycads are among the most endangered plants. The coontie palm is the only cycad native to Florida, and according to several sources the only one native to North America.

With proper processing, the water-soluble toxin cycasin washes away from pulverized coontie root, which transforms into an edible flour for bread, porridge, and cakes. Indigenous tribes mastered the cleansing practices and shared it with the Seminoles; around 1825, the Seminoles taught early settlers how to process the poisonous coontie root. Additionally, the dried rhizomes were used for medicinal  purposes, treating ailments such as stomachaches and skin irritations. 

As south Florida populated, the coontie palm was overharvested, and the once common coontie palm segued into an endangered species. As the coontie requires a decade to reach a harvestable state, natural species replenishment was not feasible.

According to the February 2020 The Palm Beach Post article, Coontie, Florida’s only native cycad, wins National Award from GCA:

During World War I, as many as 18 tons of coontie were processed daily for the military. This led to the original decimation of the plant, which was further depleted by overdevelopment in the later housing booms. 

The coontie is listed as a Commercially Exploited Plant [(FDACS/DPI rule 5B-40.0055 (C)]; thus, harvesting coontie in the wild is prohibited without a permit.

With emergence of native-plant landscapes, nurseries began cultivating the hardy coontie for residential, commercial, and community planting purposes. Per the UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County:  A Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Tale of Survival and Resurgence (Part I): Coontie Cycads:

As modern landscapers shifted towards plants that utilize less fertilizer and less water, coontie was finally recognized for this crucial use. Adaptable, low maintenance, drought tolerant, and with evergreen tropical fronds; this plant has surged in popularity. You commonly see the plant serving as an excellent foundation or accent plant in various landscape designs.

The coontie’s status as a rare native plant also adds an ecological dimension to any landscape. Encouraging local biodiversity and supporting the caterpillars of the rare Atala butterfly. You are not only beautifying your surroundings but also contributing to the conservation efforts of these imperiled species.

Atala butterfly recently
emerged from its cocoon
Photo credit: Holly Elmore Images

The re-emergence of the near-extinct coontie as well as the Atala butterfly is a prime example of the extended benefits of embracing native-plant landscapes. By recognizing the Florida-friendly growing traits of the native coontie, commercial nurseries and landscapers began the restoration of two nearly extinct species.

As native-plant landscapes segue into customary practice and harmful pesticides and fertilizer use is diminished, population-restoration success stories like the Atala butterfly along with its host plant the coontie palm (Zamia integrifolia) will be common, rather than miraculous. 

Additional resources:

The Conservancy: The Atala Butterfly and the Coontie Plant: A Mutualistic Relationship

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry: Do You Know Coontie? Florida’s Native Indians and Settlers Did.

_______________________________________

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

DONATE HERE

About Elemental Impact:

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. Current focus areas include Nature Prevails, Soil 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.

The Holly Elmore Images Rewilding Urban Landscapes-album folder documents two active pilots: the Native-Plant Landscape Pilot and the Backyard Permaculture-Oriented Pilot.

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@elementalimpact.org