The Next Regeneration REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE has the potential to improve the planet from the ground up. These organizations are planting the seeds of a more stable food supply system and helping mitigate climate change FEATURING INTERVIEWS WITH: Canadian Organic Growers • Nada Grocery • EMKAO Foods • Cascadia Seaweed • Bluebird Grain Farms • Solaires • ReFeed Canada • Moment Energy • Ecosystem Services Market Consortium April 2022,Issue 02 PLANET AND PRODUCE: THE GROWING IMPACT OF REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE MAGAZINETogether, let’s create content to make the world better. Get in touch with us here: sparxpg.com Do you want to build a better world? Marketing can make it happen.Visit our website to find out how Sparx Publishing Group makes the world better, and stay up to date on our latest partner- ships and initiatives. Plus, get in touch for future projects: sparxpg.com/make-the- world-better 10 CANADIAN ORGANIC GROWERS Advocacy and education are at the root of Canada’s organic future 14 NADA GROCERY A package-free grocery service with community at heart 26 BLUEBIRD GRAIN FARMS Cultivating and producing ancient grains for the next generation 30 SOLAIRES Shining a light on accessible and affordable solar energy solutions 34 REFEED CANADA On a mission to create sustainable food systems for future generations CONTENTS 6 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR 44 WHAT PURPOSE-DRIVEN COMPANIES NEED TO KNOW ABOUT INSURANCE A look at the complex relationship between impact companies and the insurance industry 4 MAKE THE WORLD BETTER MAGAZINEWe are recognized as a minority-owned and -led organization This issue of the magazine contributes to the following sustainability development goals: April 2022, Issue 2 PUBLISHER Sparx Publishing Group Inc. sparxpg.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Hamish Khamisa EDITORS Nikki Manthey Libby Shabada ART DIRECTOR Elisabeth Choi DESIGNER Pauline Macapagal PROJECT MANAGER Alexandra Nikitina CONTRIBUTORS Bluebird Grain Farms: Brooke Lucy, Co-Owner, Marketing, Sales & Product Development Canadian Organic Growers: Joint contribution from multiple team members Cascadia Seaweed: Erin Bremner-Mitchell, Manager of Communications and Engagement Ecosystem Services Market Consortium: Thayer Tomlinson, Communications Director EMKAO Foods: Ayissi Nyemba, Founder & CEO Moment Energy: Edward Chiang, Co-Founder & CEO Nada Grocery: Brianne Miller, Co-Founder & CEO ReFeed Canada: Stuart Lilley, CEO & CVO Solaires: Carolina Betancourt, Marketing and Business Development Manager All photo credits to the organizations. For advertising rates and placements, please contact us at advertising@sparxpg.com 18 EMKAO FOODS Supporting cocoa farmers in Cameroon and transforming their local economy 22 CASCADIA SEAWEED Diving into the industry of ocean cultivated seaweed 38 MOMENT ENERGY Powering the next generation of cleaner energy storage 42 ECOSYSTEM SERVICES MARKET CONSORTIUM Incentivization is key to improving soil health, one farm at a time Sparx would like to acknowledge that Vancouver is on traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples– Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/ Selilwitulh (Tsleil- Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam)Nations. APRIL 2022 • ISSUE 02 5Visit the Sparx blog for helpful purpose-driven marketing tips, news about individuals and organizations who are making the world better, and more. Read now: sparxpg.com/blog FOLLOW US ON: And just like that, spring has arrived. Despite its predictable arrival, this year’s seasonal shift has brought with it a new set of uncertainties for those looking to make the world better. The tragic conflict in the Ukraine has highlighted that, at a time when our planet and collective wellbeing need us to cooperate more, we find the world contemplating a future in which we’re increasingly fractured. Among the many things recent events have thrown into the spotlight: the vulnerability of the global food supply. The second edition of Make The World Better Magazine was originally conceived to focus on regenerative agriculture, inspired, in part, by the movie Kiss the Ground. The documentary masterfully conveyed the connection between the health of the soil we use to grow our food to our own health, and that of the planet. It, too, was a response to the vulnerability of the global food supply to practices of food production that are not sustainable, and the broader consequences of climate change. We believe that making the world better through the lens of food requires action on multiple fronts. As such, the organizations and teams profiled in this issue offer a glimpse at the innovative and inspiring work being done along the value chain of food. From the starting point, food production, there is a growing appetite (pun intended) for creative approaches to generating food. Through regenerative farming or responsible aquaculture, there is hope that we won’t be forced to choose between the ability to grow food and doing so sustainably. Of course, food production is only one part of the puzzle. Ensuring we collect, package, and distribute this food as efficiently as possible is another crucial area in which the organizations we’ve profiled are effecting positive change. In a nod to the Kiss the Ground conversation, we’ve included organizations whose focus is on energy. Whether through creating cleaner power sources or improving energy storage solutions, innovation away from carbon-producing fuel sources offers a path towards a truly sustainable future economy. Innovation will be crucial to tackling climate and food challenges. However, innovation requires risk. Entrepreneurs and change makers need to understand the role that insurance could play in amplifying or attenuating the pace of positive change. Our special feature on this subject is especially instructive. At a time where we are witnessing firsthand the perils of war and division, it is all the more important to remember how interconnected we all are. Regenerative agriculture is a living example of the strength of diversity in action. Now, more than ever, the path to a better future compels us to draw lessons from this farming practice to learn how to work with the planet and each other. Hamish Khamisa Founder, Sparx Publishing Group Letter from the Editor Regenerative agriculture is a living example of the strength of diversity in action. 6 MAKE THE WORLD BETTER MAGAZINE(Your Organization Here) Are you part of an organization that’s working to make the world better? Share your story in a future issue of our magazine! Join our mission to amplify good, boost awareness of critical issues, and inspire others. To be featured, get in touch with us here: Be featured in Make The World Better Magazine sparxpg.com/contactPositive CHANGE from the ground Meet the people and organizations who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty to fix the world’s food supply systems UP 8 MAKE THE WORLD BETTER MAGAZINEIt’s the second issue of Make The World Better Magazine, and we’re having a field day! This edition digs into the impacts of regenerative agriculture, both on the environment and the kind of products that make it onto our dinner tables. Read on to learn about amazing organi- zations who are bringing ancient grains to future generations, growing organic farming practices through advocacy and education, diving into aquaculture, supporting Cameroon’s cocoa farm- ers, bringing package-free solutions to grocery shelves, tackling Canada’s food waste issues, and implementing sustainable energy solutions. FEATUREFEATURE APRIL 2022 • ISSUE 02 9Next >