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“Iam sorry to say that there is too much point to the wisecrack
that life is extinct on other planets because their scientists were
more advanced than ours.”
~John F. Kennedy
PHOTO: LEANDRO CHAVIRA
Scientific advancement is indeed a double-edged sword. Ironically,
today we are finding out more than ever that many of the so-called “solu-
tions” of yesterday are at the root of the problems we
face today. The conventional agricultural system and its
use of chemical inputs is a prime example of this. In
our cover story, Dr. Charles Benbrook illustrates how
science is proving that the more “chemical answers” we
are exposed to through our food, water and air, the
more problems we have with our body’s own natural
chemistry, knocking healthy development off course
and leading to disease.
But scientific development is most certainly not
always a bad thing—in the realm of technical communications it has
opened up doors that help us connect with each other in ways never
thought possible. Learning how to take advantage of this technology is
the key to reaching out to future generations of consumers. Barbara’s
Bakery is one company that has fully embraced the digital communica-
tions age, connecting with consumers through everything from social
networking and online interactive tools to its latest promotion—an edu-
cational video game. In this issue’s Enterprise, we discuss how these tech-
nologies are helping lead today’s consumers through the organic and
natural gateway.
Another company that is leading the way in technical advancements is
Under the Canopy. Founder Marci Zaroff, who is interviewed in this
issue’s Dialogue, is not only a pioneer of the organic cotton industry, but
is also spearheading many efforts to take eco-fashion (a term she trademarked) into the future in an even more responsible, yet functional and
fashionable way. Some of her projects include finding more environmen-tally-friendly ways to process bamboo into fiber and looking at new eco-textiles made from materials ranging from cactus and sage to eucalyptus—or ECOlyptus, as she has trademarked it.
As we move into the future, science and technology will continue to
drive development, but the important part of all of this is to ensure that
each step we take forward is conscious, well thought out, and not rushed
into, or else it may become a step backward instead. As leaders in the
organic industry, we serve as role models to show the rest of the world
that technology and responsibility are not mutually exclusive, and that
together they can make this world a better place.
Chief Executive Officer Don Meeker
Publisher Stacy Atchison
Advertising Manager Bobby Meeker
Editorial Director Kathryn Schuett
Art Director Craig Van Wechel
Circulation Manager Andrea Karges
Sales Assistant Allison Demmert
Office Manager Vicki Martin
Publishing Office 1945 W. Mountain St.
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Phone 480.240.0932
kat@organicprocessing.com
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Fort Collins, CO 80525
Phone 970.484.4488
craig@organicprocessing.com
Advertising Sales
Stacy Atchison 310.745.0941
stacy@organicprocessing.com
Bobby Meeker 818.842.2829
bobby@organicprocessing.com
Adam Haas 561.347.8445
adam@organicprocessing.com
Printed on recycled paper.
Organically yours,
Kat Schuett
Editorial Director
Organic Processing (USPS 024-104) is published
bimonthly by The Target Group Inc., 1945 W.
Mountain St., Glendale, CA 91201; Phone
310.745.0941; Fax 310.745.0997; E-mail
info@organicprocessing.com. Periodicals postage
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91201. © 2009 by The Target Group Inc. All rights
reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without
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implication, the factual accuracy of the articles or
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MISSION STATEMENT:
Organic Processing
provides an independent forum for
the exchange of practical and
relevant information, ideas and
experience that will promote and
sustain the growth of organic
processing from seed to shelf.
