Visualizing Regeneration: The Fingertip Press Snippet Stories

At Earth Impact (Ei), the Era of Impact is defined by a shift from the established focus on resource sustainability to tangible, biological regeneration. As Ei Founder & CEO Holly Elmore documents the transition of urban environments into functional habitats, storytelling becomes a vital tool for education. Snippet Stories, a Fingertip Press endeavor and central feature of Holly Elmore Images (HEI), utilize photography and narrative to chronicle the intricate relationships within the Principles of Nature (1). The narrative serves as a bridge between ecological observation and everyday life.

The following collection highlights the inaugural Snippet Stories that document the journey of the Ei Rewilding Urban Landscapes Pilots (Pilots) (2) and other regenerative explorations.

 (1) The Principles of Nature are introduced in Regenerative in ACTION (RiA) Magazine article, The Principles of Nature: Biological Governance for Human and Ecological Systems.

(2) The RiA Magazine article, Ei Rewilding Urban Landscapes Pilots, introduces the Pilots and explains their significance.

Atala Butterflies Return from Near Extinction
The once abundant Atala butterflies were thought to be extinct from the 1930s 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 emerges from
its cocoon
photo courtesy of Holly Elmore Images

Like the Monarch butterfly’s relationship with the milkweed plant, the Atala 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 coontie palms support healthy populations of the once nearly extinct Atala butterfly.

The Pilots contain three coontie palms, one in the front-yard native-plant landscape and two within the backyard food forest. In the summer of 2023, the Pilots’ curator, pointed out a female Atala butterfly laying eggs on one of the food forest coonties. Over the next weeks, Holly documented the transformation of ravenous caterpillars into the chrysalis stage and their emergence as magnificent butterflies. With perfect timing, Holly captured one Atala literally emerging from its cocoon.

In the summer of 2023, the RiA Magazine article, Atala Butterflies Return from Near Extinction, published with research on the demise and return of the Atala butterfly; an HEI photo gallery of the same name showcases the snippet story in visual format.

The Elderberry Gift: From Backyard Sapling to Culinary Art
As the  Pilots segued from a vision to a vibrant reality, a young elderberry sapling was planted within the northwest corner of the backyard in the spring of 2022. Near the banana compost circle, the corner often floods with heavy rain during the wet season and was a perfect spot for the elderberry bush to thrive.

The thriving elderberry bush patch
photo courtesy of Holly Elmore Images

The American Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) is a prolific Florida native, ideally suited for the state’s moist, low-lying landscapes. Resilient shrubs serve as a vital ecological cornerstone, providing high-energy nectar for pollinators and essential nesting sites for birds. Beyond their role in the wild, elderberries are celebrated for their potent medicinal properties; the fruit and flowers are rich in antioxidants and anthocyanins, long utilized in traditional remedies to support immune health and combat seasonal ailments.

With permission to take over the corner, the solo sapling grew into a dense patch of elderberry bushes. In 2025, after three years of growth, the bushes produced their first flowers that segued into berries. As there were minimal flowers, the harvest was undisturbed and left for wildlife to devour. At the end of the 2025 season, the trees were asked to produce abundant flowers for use in culinary endeavors during the 2026 season. The bushes complied and gifted an abundance of elder flowers used for dehydrated flowers, elder flower sugar, and elder flower and lemon simple syrup.

A French yogurt cake recipe was chosen for the inaugural elderberry culinary expression; the cake was accented with dried elder flowers, cardamom, Fiori di Sicilia, and topped with elder flower sugar before baking. Post baking, the cakes were infused with elder flower & lemon simple syrup. For garnish, dried edible backyard flowers, including purple butterfly pea blossoms, added color to the neutral tones. In future harvests, the elder flowers will serve as the basis for additional culinary adventures.

The HEI photo gallery, The Elderberry Gift: From Backyard Sapling to Culinary Art, showcases the snippet story in visual format.

Blueberries: From Blossoms to Fruit
When the pandemic curtailed personal and professional activities in the spring of 2020, Holly utilized the hiatus to document the natural world through a lens of focused observation. While exploring the neighborhood Duck Pond Park in Atlanta, the discovery of dainty blueberry blossoms initiated a multi-week commitment to capturing the journey from flower to fruit.

Florida native blueberries ripen
in the backyard Pilot
photo courtesy of Holly Elmore Images

Equipped with her camera and tripod, Holly visited the park every three to four days to record the subtle transitions of the ripening berries. While ravenous urban wildlife devoured the majority of the crop, two ripe blueberries remained as a gift for the final narrative. The pandemic project culminated in the digital book, Blueberries: From Blossoms to Fruit, which integrated photographic evidence with blueberry history and lore.

Upon re-establishing in Sarasota, Florida, Holly immediately planted Florida-native blueberry bushes. The southern varieties now thrive within the backyard Pilot, and their progress is incorporated into the associated album. The collection serves as a bridge between the initial Atlanta observations and the current realization of a functional, edible habitat in Sarasota.

The HEI photo gallery, Blueberries: From Blossom to Fruit, showcases the snippet story in visual format.

Ground Cherries: Culinary Gems within the Landscape Ground Cover
Beyond aesthetics, edible landscapes provide an easy source of food without the carbon footprint inherent within products purchased at markets and grocery stores. Florida-native ground cherries (Physalis walteri) are a distinguished addition to home landscapes, serving as a food source for wildlife, a favorite of the gopher tortoise, and humans. The resilient plants produce fruit encased in delicate, papery husks that protect the harvest as it ripens.

Ground cherries in their husks
harvest from the front-yard landscape
photo courtesy of Holly Elmore Images

The tasty cherries offer a sweet yet tart accent to salads, cakes, and a variety of other culinary dishes. Thriving within the nutrient-dense soil of the Soil Sponge (1), ground cherries represent the effortless potential of a productive yard ecosystem. In early September, an abundant harvest of ripe ground cherries served as the perfect garnish for a ginger-lemon olive oil cake. A few days later, a gifted starfruit along with native blueberries harvested from the backyard made a lovely riff on the cake.

The HEI photo gallery, Ground Cherries: Culinary Gems within the Landscape Ground Cover, showcases the snippet story in visual format.

(1) The RiA Magazine article, Earth’s Digestive System: A Living Glossary, provides descriptions for the Earth Digestive System terms, including the Soil Sponge.

Bee Swarms: Nature’s Way to Grow Strong Bee Populations
Honey bee swarming is integral to colony propagation and overall bee population stabilization and growth. 

Magazine cover for the 
article feature.
photo courtesy of Holly Elmore Images

In the Southern Farm & Garden summer 2018 issue, a two-page photo essay titled Bee Swarms: Nature’s Way to Grow Strong Bee Populations educates on the important role bee swarms play in propagating populations, both through the size and the number of colonies.

Captured in Boulder, Colorado, the photographic evidence records a unique moment when Holly encountered a beekeeper retrieving a swarm from a neighbor's bushes. Documentation of this natural phenomenon highlights the Necessity of Cover and Ability to Roam (1), as the swarm seeks a new sanctuary to ensure the long-term resilience of the species.

The HEI photo gallery, Bee Swarms: Nature’s Way to Grow Strong Bee Populations, showcases the snippet story in visual format.

(1) The RiA Magazine article, The Principles of Nature: Biological Governance for Human and Ecological Systems, introduces The Principles of Nature, as defined by Ei; the Necessity of Cover and Ability to Roam are the final two principles.

The Fingertip Press collection continues to expand beyond these ecological narratives. Additional Snippet Stories explore the intersection of culinary art and environmental reality, including the Za'Atar Chicken-Thigh Traybake, Duck Confit Explorations, and the sobering Remnants of Life: Death by Red Tide. Even the arrival of Hurricane Idalia’s Gift of Sargassum was documented, turning a storm event into a study of coastal biology.

As Ei continues to document the Underground Economy (2) and the visible life it supports, the Snippet Stories provide evidence that regeneration is a practical, beautiful reality.

(2) The RiA Magazine article, Earth’s Digestive System: A Living Glossary, provides descriptions for the Earth Digestive System terms, including the Underground Economy.

._______________________________________

The Earth’s Digestive System Series
Restoring landscape resilience through biological soil management.

The Earth’s Digestive System (EDS) article series in the Regeneration in ACTION (RiA) Magazine explores the subterranean biological economy and the microbial workforce required to cultivate a healthy soil sponge.

Current Articles in the Series:

• Earth’s Digestive System: Restoring the Soil Microbiome: An introduction to the core principles of soil health and the transition from synthetic interventions to biological support.
• The Microbial Workforce: Powering the Earth's Digestive System: A deep dive into the specialized labor categories—Architects, Recyclers, and Regulators—that maintain the underground economy.
• Earth’s Digestive System: A Living Glossary: A foundational reference for the technical nomenclature used throughout the series, defining the mechanisms of the soil sponge and the water vault.
• The Principles of Nature: Biological Governance for Human and Ecological Systems - An exploration of the biological constitution that governs resilient ecosystems and mirrors healthy human societal structures.
  

Coming Soon:

• Carbon: The Glue of the Soil Sponge: A deep-dive into glomalin, structural infrastructure, and how a healthy soil sponge replenishes the Water Vault.
• Future installments will explore Carbon Architecture, and the Liquid Carbon Pathway.

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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. Ei served as the home to the Zero Waste Zones, the national forerunner 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 (2017–2024), focusing on Nature Prevails, Soil Health | Regenerative Agriculture, and Water Use | Toxicity.

As Ei transitioned into the Era of Impact (June 2024–present), the business model shifted to Ei Educates. While projects and pilots remain foundational, the primary focus is now the dissemination of regenerative knowledge. The Earth’s Digestive System (EDS) serves as the overarching focus area, providing a unified framework where biological health drives environmental security. Within this framework, the Water Use | Toxicity platform evolved into the Water Security platform in March 2025.

The Holly Elmore Images portfolio documents the Rewilding Urban Landscapes Pilots, including the Native-Plant Landscape Pilot and the Backyard Food Forest Pilot. These active Sarasota-based sites serve as the primary educational laboratories for Ei endeavors.

MISSION:

To foster long-term community resilience by driving actions that align economic systems with biological health. Through education and collaboration, Ei establishes the Principles of Nature as the standard for ecological and societal security.

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

The Ei Core Mantra:

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.

Deceased, Decomposed and Nutritious: a sequel to Wild, Lush and HAPPY

As the extreme Florida summer heat waned and the annual rainy season provided hydration, the Earth Impact (Ei) Rewilding Urban Landscapes Pilots (Pilots) flourished. With exceptionally healthy soil, the garden cover crop, food forest ground cover, infill plants, and volunteer foliage thrived and achieved unprecedented growth.

A wild & happy garden
photo courtesy of Holly Elmore Images

When harvested, the sugar cane stalks reached nearly 12 feet in height, sunn hemp plants towered over the garden at 8 to 10 feet, and a plethora of cranberry hibiscus shrubs displayed delightful blossoms. Closer to the ground, robust mustard and arugula plants reseeded themselves without regard to garden boundaries. Three-year-old fennel and scallions provided ample food for both wildlife and humans.

The Regeneration in ACTION (RiA) article, Wild, Lush, and Happy, showcased the impressive abundance through a compilation of social media updates published by Ei Founder & CEO Holly Elmore. As the rains subsided and fall segued into winter, the Earth’s digestive cycle claimed the predominantly annual plants as food for the next generation.

Taming the Wild Yard
Within the closeout of 2025, Holly spent nearly two hours daily for several weeks taming the once wild, yet now mainly deceased yard. The process involved tedious, strenuous, and rewarding tasks. After removing the decaying foliage, access was regained to the vegetable, herb, and edible flower garden, which was promptly weeded.

Tamed food forest path
photo courtesy of Holly Elmore Images

Next, mulch was spread over the cleansed garden area; the mulch was a compliment of local neighborhood tree trimming. Upon request, contractors deposited the ground tree-trimming remnants on the Pilot's gravel driveway. The arrangement saved a trip to the landfill for the contractors and permitted the nutritious foliage to feed the yard—a definitive "win-win" accomplished via simple awareness followed by a request.

With the garden-area taming complete, the work segued to the food forest and the remainder of the backyard. Paths were weeded and cleansed of overgrowth. Once complete, mulch was transported by the wheel barrowful and spread on the path labyrinth. Within days of welcoming 2026, the taming project was complete.

Mission Accomplished: Retaining the Nutrition
Traditional "yard waste" disposal was avoided in favor of a regenerative approach. Instead, 100% of the deceased foliage was retained within the Pilots to decompose and share nutrition with the perennial plants and the next generation of annuals. Weed remnants and light plant debris were placed in the banana-compost circle; the sunn hemp, beauty berry branches, and other bulky debris were staged for on-site mulching.

Managing debris according to Nature’s Protocol creates a curated banquet for the soil. The process ignites the annual foliage seeds to emerge into a delightful collage of food and habitat for wildlife.

Rewilding Urban Landscapes: Cultivating Food and Habitat
The success of the Pilots served as the foundation for Holly’s December 2025 presentation to the local Sierra Club: Rewilding Urban Landscapes: cultivating food and habitat for wildlife.

A primary focus of the presentation was the Insect Apocalypse and the far-reaching ramifications for the food chain. By choosing an evolution toward Soil Integrity—moving beyond organic and regenerative labels to focus on native plants and "rewilding"—urban landscapes become vital conservation corridors.

Polka dot wasp in backyard
photo courtesy of Holly Elmore Images

To align work with the Nature Prevails platform, Ei defines The Principles of Nature within three broad categories:

• Diversity & The Right to Flourish
• Dynamic Balance & Nutrition Cycles
• Necessity of Cover & Ability to Roam

Healthy, balanced water and soil microbial communities are the foundation of life and integral to these Nature Prevails principles. As featured in the Bigger than Us podcast, Holly is known for the following quote:

"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."

The presentation emphasized that every yard can serve as a refuge. By providing the "Necessity of Cover" and a "Diversity of Species," the Pilots demonstrate how urban dwellers may directly reverse habitat loss while establishing sustainable food sources for urban wildlife.

The Sierra Club PPT presentation is available for viewing or downloading at this LINK.

The Earth’s Digestive System: A Preview
While the "taming" of the physical landscape is complete, the true work has only just begun beneath the surface. Retaining 100% of the deceased foliage ensures that the Nutrition Cycle remains intact, fueling a biological transformation that turns yesterday's growth into tomorrow’s vitality.

Alchemy of the Surface
photo courtesy of Holly Elmore Images

Subsequent articles will provide a technical deep dive into the Earth’s Digestive System. This series will explore the Alchemy of the Surface, where the "Brown Phase" of decomposition initiates the nutrient transfer. The narrative will then descend into the Subterranean Engine Room, revealing the Invisible Workforce of microbial communities and fungi networks that transform yard debris into new life.

Through the lens of the Conscious Steward, these upcoming installments will demonstrate how aligning human activity with Nature’s Protocol secures the healthy, balanced soil and water foundations essential for life to survive and thrive.

_______________________________________

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. Ei served as the home to the Zero Waste Zones, the national forerunner 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 (2017–2024), focusing on Nature Prevails, Soil Health | Regenerative Agriculture, and Water Use | Toxicity.

As Ei transitioned into the Era of Impact (June 2024–present), the business model shifted to Ei Educates. While projects and pilots remain foundational, the primary focus is now the dissemination of regenerative knowledge. The Earth’s Digestive System (EDS) serves as the overarching focus area, providing a unified framework where biological health drives environmental security. Within this framework, the Water Use | Toxicity platform evolved into the Water Security platform in March 2025.

The Holly Elmore Images portfolio documents the Rewilding Urban Landscapes Pilots, including the Native-Plant Landscape Pilot and the Backyard Food Forest Pilot. These active Sarasota-based sites serve as the primary educational laboratories for Ei endeavors.

MISSION:

To foster long-term community resilience by driving actions that align economic systems with biological health. Through education and collaboration, Ei establishes the Principles of Nature as the standard for ecological and societal security.

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

The Ei Core Mantra:

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.

Wild, Lush, and Happy: a rewilding urban landscapes update

 In March 2023, Earth Impact (Ei) Founder & CEO Holly Elmore announced the Ei Rewilding Rewilding Urban Landscape Pilots (Pilots) via a Regeneration in ACTION (RiA) article by the same name. 

The July 2025 RiA article, Building Soil Security via Rewilding Urban Landscapes, reintroduces the Pilots along with an overview of the evolution over the past four years, survival and recovery from the 2025 Hurricane Trilogy, and the 2025 Rewilding Pilots Maintenance.

Nurturing the Pilots is an ongoing endeavor with consistent hydration during the dry season, weeding and trimming during the rainy season, cleansing deceased annuals, and planting seeds, seedlings and other foliage as the Pilots evolve. 

Holly often documents the Pilots progress in a series of FB posts supported by Holly Elmore Images (HEI) photos. The following sections are reprints of Holly's FB posts related to the Pilots written in first person. All photos are courtesy of HEI.

WILD, HAPPY, & WEEDED!!! (09/27/25 post)
As it is time to plant the fall vegetable, herb, and edible-flower garden, I embarked on tidying up my wonderfully wild garden upon returning home from Montreal two weeks ago,

A wild, happy & weeded garden

Since the rabbits ate most of the early cover-crop seedlings, I let a few prolific, flowering “weeds” flourish in the garden as standby cover during the summer heat. Additionally, I laid plant trimmings in the garden to cover the soil. As the garden grows, I will clear out the trimmings. 

Ha, the Yard Priestess, Arial (my kitty) took the rabbit challenge into her capable paws. After she killed the first baby bunny, I set a strong intention within the yard’s energy vortex located in the middle of the food forest: NO SPORT HUNTING, except for lizards, is permitted on the property.

When she killed the adolescent bunny, Arial was firm that she was not sport hunting; the kill was a strong message to the neighborhood rabbits: you are not welcome on the property. Arial’s plan worked! 

With no evidence of rabbit activity since the second kill, the sunn hemp cover crop flourished; several of the sunn hemp plants are nearly ten feet tall! The sunn hemp will stay until I harvest and dehydrate their tasty blossoms for my house tea blends. Once the seed pods are dry, the plants are destined for the compost pile, and the seeds are saved for next year's cover crop.

Arial, the Yard Priestess

The mustard and arugula have no regard for garden parameters and grow randomly on both side yards. This is the third generation of arugula and mustard to reseed itself wherever it chooses. 

Notice the maturing papaya tree on the upper left and the Yaupon holly, the only caffeinated plant native to N America, on the right. Turmeric takes up residence throughout the backyard and several are below the Yaupon holly tree.

Between watering, tidying, and weeding, I spent nearly three hours in the yard today; it was sacred time and my heart is glistening.

LUSH & DELICIOUS (10/03/25 post)
The banana-compost circle is integral to the Ei Backyard Permaculture-Oriented Landscape Pilot,

When originally built in February 2022, I simply appreciated the compost circle as an avenue to "walk my talk" with food-scrap composting. Over the past nearly four years, the banana trees inherited from the home's prior occupants thrived and propagated into a dense mini forest.

Since the home reverse-osmosis-discharge water was routed to the compost circle, the banana trees expressed their gratitude with ample hands of decadent fruit. As of this post, there are four young banana hands ripening on the trees; one hand was harvested a few months ago and another this morning.

Banana compost circle

Last year, the abundant banana harvest was a major contributor to the 2024 Holly Jolly Sweet 'n Savory Treats (HJ Treats) bounty. Over thirty mini Chocolate Toffee-Banana Cakes accented with a cardamon-, coriander-, and ginger-spice blend and once out-of-the-oven soaked with simple syrup infused with coffee extract were baked - YUM! The cakes are on the menu for the 2025 HJ Treats menu!

Keeping with the tropical fruit-tree theme, a papaya tree was planted just outside of the banana circle during the 2025 Pilots Maintenance in June. The healthy tree has buds, the first step in the evolution to a tasty papaya.

With a prolific butterfly pea-blossom vine on a trellis behind the circle, I walk within the banana trees daily to harvest the lovely purple flowers; dehydrated butterfly blossoms are a staple ingredient in my house-made tea blends. Thus, I am up close and personal with the urban wildlife that calls the mini forest and compost pile home!

I love and appreciate my banana-compost circle on many levels and dimensions.

PRAYERS WORK (10/04/25 post)
Upon receipt weeks ago of the Florida Power & Light (FPL) notice of the pending tree trimming to clear power and utility lines, I immediately called upon Divine Energies to create a scenario where all benefited. As he oversees my yard, I asked and gave permission for Merlyn to take charge of the scenario.

The tree trimming begins

With perfect timing, as I left my home for an appointment on Monday morning (September 29,) the FPL crew was in the neighborhood. Immediately I found the tree-trimming company supervisor and asked about a "gentle trimming." Fortunately, the FPL manager was on site who could give permission for the gentle trimming.

After educating me on the various utility lines, the FPL manager approved a gentle trim for all utility lines, except the power line. FPL would trim my trees the following morning so I could witness the trimming in process. ALL involved were incredibly nice, professional, and communicative. 

Whew compared to my neighbor's gorgeous tree, my oaks appear unscathed. My neighbor's tree seemed to get a vertical butcher - painful!

SCORE: after speaking with the tree-trimming-company supervisor, FPL deposited the ground limbs on my gravel driveway! As the limbs were generally small, the ground tree debris is too fine for mulch yet perfect for compost!

Ground tree-debris pile

A friend and I smoothed out the pile from five-plus-feet tall to a good three-feet tall. The trimmings a foot or so beneath the surface were already hot! I expect it will take the microbial community roughly three months to cure the trimmings into compost. 

GUIDANCE: Holly tagged numerous compost-savvy friends to share their wisdom on tending to the compost pile. 

Though the Ei Pilots require significant nurturing and attention to maintain them in a tour-ready state, Holly finds the time spent in the yard as sacred. When the yard is wild, lush, and happy, Holly's heart brightens and her soul sings a lovely melody.

_______________________________________

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.

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.

A 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.

Earth Impact's (Ei) global offices reside in Ei Founder & CEO Holly Elmore's Sarasota home, located three miles inland from Sarasota Bay. Sarasota is on the Central Gulf Coast 50-miles south of Tampa and was directly impacted by the three hurricanes.

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 and caused severe flooding.

Tropical Storm Debby
street flooding
photo courtesy of Holly Elmore Images

Debby's flooding was generally inland along Philippe Creek, a 7.2-mile stream within the Sarasota Bay Watershed, the Myakka River, a 72-mile river that flows through Manatee, Sarasota, and Charlotte Counties into the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) through Charlotte Harbor, and in several well-established neighborhoods.

Much of Debby's flooding in Sarasota was unprecedented and served as a wake-up call for the importance of infrastructure maintenance; many in the community questioned the common practice of filling in wetlands to build gated communities and other developments.

Before making landfall on August 4 in Steinhatchee on Florida's panhandle, Debby strengthened into a Category 1 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 off shore, 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.

Helene made landfall as a massive Category 4 Hurricane in Florida's Big Bend Region. After making landfall, Helen traveled north causing catastrophic damage in the North Carolina western mountains and other areas; the destruction path was 500-miles long.

Milton, a wind event
Less than two weeks after Helene's devastation, the Florida Gulf Coast braced for a cataclysmic hurricane garnering unbelievable strength as it traveled east through the warm Gulf waters. With minimal time for collection, streets on the barrier islands remained lined with debris from cleanup of Helene's destruction. Meanwhile, Hurricane Milton barreled towards the Tampa Bay / Sarasota area.

Fallen tree near Holly's home
photo courtesy of Holly Elmore Images

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.

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.

Old Florida Charm
Hurricane Helene's storm-surge flooding and sand deposits caused unrepairable damage to many of the region's elder homes and businesses. In general, structures designed and built in accordance with the more recent building codes survived the hurricanes with minimal or at least repairable damage. New building codes require elevated living/working space along with hurricane-resistant construction materials.

The Rod & Reel in 2018
photo courtesy of Holly Elmore Images

Sadly, the Sarasota region lost many of its iconic, eclectic restaurants. One local favorite, the Rod & Reel Pier Restaurant built in 1947 survived Helene with only the pier sustaining major damage. Yet, Milton completely obliterated the pier and restaurant; only the sign survived. The Rod & Reel was the first stop on Holly's famed SRQ Tour.

Another popular dining destination, Caddy's Bradenton on the Manatee River was completely destroyed and will not be rebuilt.

Yet, the Cortez Fishing Village established in the 1880's cleaned, repaired, and opened for business within weeks after Milton seemingly destroyed the charming village. Pop's Sunset Grill located on the Intracoastal Waterway and Turtles on Little Sarasota Bay, popular eclectic destinations, opened within days after Milton traveled across the state. It is surreal that Turtles received minimal damage as Milton made landfall nearby.

Ei Rewilding Urban Landscapes Pilots
When she returned to her hometown in 2021, Holly donated her front yard for an Ei Native Plant Landscape Pilot and her backyard for an Ei Permaculture-Oriented Landscape Pilot. The Holly Elmore Images Ei Rewilding Urban Landscapes Pilots album chronicles the pilot development and progress. 

The RiA Magazine article, Ei Rewilding Urban Landscapes Pilots, announces the pilots and emphasizes their importance within the Ei Nature Prevails platform.

Oak tree debris in pilot
photo courtesy of Holly Elmore Images

For Tropical Storm Debby, the Pilots were appreciative of the excessive rainfall after the drought during the summer's usual rainy season. As Holly's home is three miles inland from Sarasota Bay, Hurricane Helene's storm surge did not impact the pilots. 

After Hurricane Milton, the pilots were completely disheveled and numerous plants lost. The four massive oak trees on the property provided protection from the intense wind and deposited a significant amount of oak debris throughout the pilots.

The healthy soil filled with active microbial communities and fungi networks absorbed the tremendous rainfall from Debby and held the roots in place for most of the young trees, bushes, and plants. In the overall perspective, the pilots were reasonably unscathed by the 2024 hurricane trilogy and will completely recover over time.

Resiliency is a necessity for those who choose to call the Florida peninsula their home. With warming oceans, increased frequency and intensity of hurricanes are forecasted for the Sunshine State. The 2024 hurricane trilogy is a glimpse of future weather patterns.

_______________________________________

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.