
What began 26 years ago as an organic farming school funded by yogurt sales is now a $320 million company supporting 1,400 organic farms across the USA. Stonyfield Farm co-founder Gary Hirshberg explains himself....read more
Gary Hirshberg, CE-Yo of Stonyfield Farm and a former climatoligist, has long been an inspiration for us at SHFT. In addition to being a leader in the sustainable business community – showing other companies how sustainable practices not only help the environment, but also help the bottom line of the company – Gary shares the idea of spreading the eco message through cultural means......read more
Described by Variety as "the only dance band that matters," Brazilian Girls (actually three guys and a girl, none of whom is Brazilian) have an eclectic, multilingual sound that fuses electro, samba, salsa, reggae and jazz. With such a global approach to music, it comes as no surprise that the New York City quartet is keenly aware of the impact their shows have on the planet.......read more
When the Honey Brothers took their new wave folk sound to the road, they made a commitment to minimize their tour's impact on the planet. Traveling in a biodiesel Sprinter van, the bandmates hit up local farmers' markets for grub and LEED-certified hotels for shelter. In this episode of Lighten Up, made possible by the good people at Stonyfield Farm, the Brooklyn five-piece inform us that touring......read more
The past year was an explosive one for Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, the Los Angeles ten-piece outfit whose 2009 debut album 'Up From Below' was a runaway hit. The band has been touring pretty much constantly since the record hit the streets, and they're getting a taste of success. At the same time, they're seeing first hand the kind of waste that accompanies a road......read more
Dave Matthews Band has been touring for many years and, due in large part to the efforts of bassist Stefan Lessard, they've been approaching it with one eye on the road and one eye on the planet. On several fronts, sustainable systems have been put in place: organic food, water stations, sustainably made merchandising, all while engaging fans in the process. The eco-village gives out free......read more
The way we see it, growing food in cities is a great way to address some of the social, environmental, and health problems faced by urbanites. Derek Denckla agrees. The Brooklyn-based green visionary helped launch the Farm City project (named after Novella Carpenter's excellent book on adventures in city farming) to explore and promote the practice of urban agriculture. Our intrepid Brooklyn......read more
Longtime farming advocate Willie Nelson lends his voice to Coldplay's "The Scientist" in this charming piece of stop motion from Johnny Kelly. The story follows the plight of a farmer who, in an effort to modernize his farm, turns it into an industrial animal factory. Seeing the error of his ways, he reverts back to a small-scale, sustainable farm. The film was commissioned by Chipotle "to......read more
Young Farmers, the latest original web series from SHFT and Lockerz, explores the growth of 'farm-to-table' values among young people today. In the first episode, we visit with Morgan and her abundant urban farm plot. Morgan's mindset about food was shifted by her experience living in France, where knowing where your food comes from -- and how it was raised -- is a normal part of life.......read more
Corbett, our newest Young Farmers subject, comes by his interest in gardening honestly. Raised until the age of six on a farm near Lake Tahoe, the teen green thumb was exposed to the practice of growing food at an early age. Now living in Los Angeles, he tends to a community farm plot right off the freeway that produces everything from corn and peppers to zucchini and tomato. Check out......read more