The Sustainable Living Podcast

Blake Akers is working on an alternative to the organic certification, USDA Organic, offered by the federal government. Not long ago, we had Grace Gershuny on our show who played a major part in the creation of the standards we follow today.   The two are somewhat in separate camps. Grace is greatly invested in a standard and certification for organics set by the government, while Blake wants to see that farmers self-regulate and that consumers enforce the standards by voting with their dollars and by making their opinion known.   In the end, the really agree on many things. For example: Both feel very strongly that the soil is the key to producing good, organic food and for that matter, to producing food - period. Both are deeply concerned that we are losing topsoil at an alarming rate. Both want to see regeneration rather than sustainability. Both want to see that farmers are able to make an income during the transition to being completely organic.   And there are many points where the disagree.   Part of