Banyan Botanicals’ Post

Do you want to learn more about the plastic waste epidemic and how to take the initiative to reduce plastic waste in your own company? If so, you might want to register for the upcoming OSC Pact Pack Webinar! OSC Packaging Collaborative members from our team and AE Global will be sharing unique insights and expertise on the matter. Will you join us? Expect a highly engaging session, with open Q&A, and opportunities to connect with like-minded professionals, trade groups, and potential partners. When: Tues, July 30th at 1:30-2:15pm Link to register: https://bit.ly/3Y4R5lC

Recently, members of our Banyan team attended the Sustainable Herbs Program Experiential Learning Journey in Southern Oregon. It was truly an extraordinary event of 44 passionate herb industry professionals from around the world! We visited southern Oregon's herb farms including BanyanFarm, Herb Pharm, Oshala Farm, and toured Pacific Botanicals with their founder and legendary herb farmer, Mark Wheeler. We hiked to Bigelow lakes with local wild-crafters and heard their stories, passions, and challenges. And we heard heart-breaking and heart-warming stories from migrant farm workers, and then had the honor to work few hours alongside them (in the hot sun) harvesting the most beautiful chamomile flowers at Oshala Farms. We had a stunning farm-to-table dinner and CEO/Founder Roundtable discussion to discuss what a future of a more sustainable herb industry looks like with Kevin Casey of Banyan Botanicals (Cofounder & CEO), Mark Allen, Herb Pharm (Former CEO, Board Member), Mark Wheeler, Pacific Botanicals (Founder), Ed Smith, Herb Pharm (Cofounder), Daniel Marple, Herb Pharm (CEO), and Cameron Stearns, Mountain Rose Herbs (CEO/CFO) sharing stories and insight into the industry. And while at Banyan Farm, we sat in circle with an Indigenous community member and professor of Indigenous Studies at SOU, Brook Colley, and listened to her share stories of the past, and visions for the future, including ideas around how best to partner with indigenous communities. The mission of the learning journeys was to approach seemingly intractable challenges in a different, more systematic way by listening to the voices of those we don’t always listen to: the people at the edges of the system, the places we visit, and especially listening to the plants. Beyond sales, analytics, and industry interests, we open our hearts and connect with the earth and each other. In this way, we tap into the inspiration and courage needed to act to create change.  "This was an extraordinary event for our team and the industry, there were tears, laughter, and difficult conversations, among old friends and new friends. The work that Ann is leading and co-creating with Sustainable Herbs Initiative members is certainly the most inspiring and impactful work happening in the botanical industry. " Erin Douglas, Banyan Botanicals Director of Social and Environmental Responsibility  The week was full of moments to remember and inspiration leading to new working groups designed to take action. We are grateful to Ann Armbrecht for her heart, leadership, and vision, and to all our fellow herbal industry adventurers, collaboration (and some fun!) is the magic needed for making positive and lasting change. @thesynergycompany Pacific Botanicals Herb Pharm LLC #oregonlearningjourney #sustainableherbs #collaboration #sustainability #herbs

Happy Fair Wild Week! Considered the most versatile and widely used of all Ayurvedic herbal formulations, triphala is a unique blend with a very substantial value. With countless health benefits and numerous uses—it's not difficult to understand why it's so popular. But how often do we think about the wild plants that make up a formula such as triphala, and how those three special fruits—amalaki, bibhitaki, and haritaki—are obtained? How were they grown? Who harvested them? These questions are important to ask because today, one in five of the world's wild plant species are estimated to be under the threat of extinction due to over-harvesting and habitat loss, and the demand is only increasing. Thankfully, sustainable projects like the FairWild Foundation standard and certification system are working to reverse this trend, potentially allowing our wild herbal allies to thrive for future generations. Through our collective effort, we can preserve wild plant species like the haritaki trees, and continue to enjoy the benefits of the triphala formula for generations to come. We are committed to the FairWild Foundation mission and are working to support more FairWild growers so we can offer more FairWild-certified products 💚 Learn more about why sustainability matters in Ayurveda: https://lnkd.in/gdTqirkZ #fairwild #fairtrade #sustainability #sustainableherbs #sustainablefarming #ayurveda #livingayurveda #triphala #amla #bibhitaki #haritaki

📢 Last call for applications for our Wilderness Immersion program in Southern Oregon with Banyan Farm! This is an invitation to embark on a meaningful journey through one of the most biodiverse regions in North America, while taking on the unique perspectives of Ayurveda. As we recognize nature as our ally and ultimate teacher, this opportunity will awaken your senses to the wisdom nature offers us. Banyan Farm's Wilderness Immersive program calls you to: 🌱 Explore wild landscapes 🌱 Discover wildlife and ecology 🌱 Develop ancestral living skills 🌱 Engage in mindful practices The goal of this program is that you will walk away humbled, inspired, and transformed— with new knowledge and tools that will connect you with reverence to nature and its elements. Learn more/apply: https://bit.ly/3KAVmFC

This year, Congress will write our next farm bill, shaping the next 5-7 years of American agriculture policy. One of Banyan's Commitments to the Environment is to support regenerative agriculture. Industrial farming techniques such as mono-cropping, deep tilling, and the overuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides contribute to climate change and biodiversity loss by speeding the erosion of topsoil and killing off microorganisms that build soil carbon and enable the soil to serve as a natural “carbon sink.” Regenerative agriculture practices turn agriculture from a climate problem into a climate solution by storing more carbon in the ground than is released into the atmosphere while farming, building, and protecting biodiversity and topsoil. Healthy Soil = Healthy People and Planet 🌎 Please consider signing on to the Kiss The Ground Petition to support regenerative agriculture practices in the Farm Bill. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gaCBgcDe

In light of World Ocean's Day tomorrow, we want to celebrate it by bringing awareness of our partnership with Prevented Ocean Plastic™ to help remove plastic from the environment before it enters the ocean 🌊 In the same way that Ayurveda teaches prevention as the key to a healthy life, preventing plastics from reaching the water is the best way to protect healthy oceans. How it works: - Collectors gather plastic waste from shorelines + ocean-bound waterways - Plastic is sanitized + processed into small pieces of raw, recycled material - Small plastic pellets are melted + formed into our POP™ tablet bottles Take a stand for healthy oceans and shop Prevented Ocean Plastic™ 👇 https://bit.ly/3Xdmnq4 #worldoceanday #preventedoceanplastic #sustainability #cleaneroceans #oceans #oceanhealth

We are so grateful for our loving Ayurveda Community who gathered at the 20th Annual @ayurveda_nama Conference this year! Our CEO, Kevin Casey, and our Social & Environmental Responsibility Manager, Erin Douglas, were given warm welcomes to the presenter’s stage to discuss Sustainability of Ayurvedic Herbs in the West and Why We Do What We Do 🌱 We loved connecting with partners, other products companies, and those who are lifting Ayurveda in the modern world. Much gratitude to @ayurveda_nama and @coloradoayurveda for hosting a wonderful conference! 💚