I remember my father telling me about the first time he became aware of the concept of sustainability, although he called it “taking care of your environment.” He became conscious of it almost 100 years ago when he first traveled to China and ventured into the interior. Sadly, it was an idea born out of tragedy.

Over the years, the people in China had cut down their forests. Because of this, the mountains were unable to catch and retain the flowing water. As a result, every year the Yangtze River would swell due to massive floods, carrying hundreds and hundreds of dead bodies down the river.

My dad knew the primary cause was the deforestation that occurred years earlier for wood products. He also knew it was unnecessary. This was his first awareness of the importance of taking care of the environment.

Sustainability means embracing a plant-based diet

My dad also saw much sickness and disease while in China. People living in the big cities seemed to have every major disease imaginable, yet in remote areas, in little villages, the people seemed to be healthier. He wondered why, which sparked his interest in nutrition. He began to study the Chinese diet and how Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners were treating disease.

His studies led him to understand the importance of a more sustainable plant-based diet. Yet, when he returned home to the United States, he found it was a real struggle to get people to embrace this message. I wrote a little bit about the benefits of a plant-based diet here: Feel the Power of Plants. 

From the very beginning, my father made sure I had the best nutrition and a diet full of vegetables and fruits along with plenty of exercise and other healthy habits. You might say I was his first guinea pig as he began to study and make his first nutritional products.

Sustainability means taking care of our land

Our sustainable farming practices started with a little four-acre farm that my father leased in the San Fernando Valley, California. He realized that if he bought plant materials, he couldn’t be sure of their quality, so he decided to grow his own.

Bigger farms in Hemet and Lakeview, California soon followed and, as many of you may know, we now have farms and farming partners all over the world through our NutriCert™ agricultural certification program. Along the way, we continue to focus on sustainable farming practices, proper nutrition, and making sure that the soil gets stronger and stronger every year. To me, this is such an important part of our sustainability goals. Just as you get stronger as you grow up by eating proper foods and exercising, the land gets stronger when it is fed properly with good compost. In fact, my father was a fanatic about making compost. He developed one of the first compost machines. It was fabulous for making compost for fertile soil.

Sustainability means protecting our forests

My father was very passionate about protecting our forests, especially the beautiful redwood trees in Northern California. This was understandable given the destructive floods he saw in China. In the early days, he worked with many organizations to protect our forests from being cut down for paper or building materials. He even started the Foundation for American Resource Management, an organization devoted to the reforestation of the redwoods and better methods of agricultural farming throughout the country. He was so passionate about protecting the redwoods that a redwood grove in Northern California is named after my mother. It stands today for people to visit.

Sustainability means protecting our oceans, reefs and fish

As the business grew, my father’s sustainability interests expanded to the sea. We had a large boat called the Acania, which we sent to the Alaskan waterways to harvest plankton and small shrimp for a source of protein for products. For me, it was an amazingly exciting project to work on.

Dad was also very interested in farming algae for its beta carotene content, so we had a facility that grew algae just for that purpose. He often talked about how we need to protect our oceans, save our coral reefs and sustainably fish. He even bought one of the very first aqualungs made by Jacques Cousteau, which I was able to use to dive among the reefs.

Sustainability means avoiding chemical pesticides

My father knew he had to use only natural biological methods to control insect pests. He was very concerned about protecting plants against insect pests without having to use harmful chemicals. He recognized early on that he needed to avoid chemical insecticides as they could concentrate in the product and potentially be dangerous. This was quite a challenge as he expanded. So, my father collaborated with researchers at the University of California at Irvine to develop one of the first biological insect controls.

When I joined the company many years later, we offered a line of biological insect control products that not only protected farmers’ crops from insects using natural means, but were also safe on products for human consumption. Today, these types of products are commonly used around the world, but back then it was a pioneering idea.

This is where our emphasis on control from seed to finished product was born, and why we have traceability to ensure that our products are pure and free of contamination. My father insisted on this because we are asking people to use the product for the rest of their lives. We need to be confident that our products are the best.

Our magnificent farms in the San Jacinto Valley in Southern California were showcases for our natural farming practices. Of course, that legacy continues at our Trout Lake Farms in Washington, our Rancho El Petacal Farm in Mexico, our Fazenda Amway Nutrilite do Brasil in Brazil, as well as our operations in China. Today, more and more farmers use our natural farming principles, only now they call it organic farming.

If we are to grow the best plants, we need to start with the best land and soil. My father knew it all starts with sustainability. We know it ends with healthier lives and a healthier planet.

Health is everything

My father passed away almost 50 years ago, but I couldn’t be prouder of  where we are today, and more importantly where we are going. To me sustainability is the bedrock to the Nutrilite brand, so too is the message that health is everything. The concepts are very much intermingled. When you take care of yourself, you are better able to take care of your family and community, and ultimately the planet.

That is why the Power of 5 program  is so important. We must support children during their first five years. This is a critical time for development and helps determine long term health and well-being. Likewise, we must help adults, young and old, take better care of themselves. 

Today, more than two out of three adults in the United States are overweight or obese.(1) It’s a condition that makes many diseases worse and hastens death. Yet, for the vast majority of these people, the remedy is better lifestyle choices.

So, just by helping people achieve and maintain good health, we can do so much to help them take care of their lives. It starts when you are born and covers every aspect of your life.

The message that health is everything captures this idea perfectly.

Bringing nutrition into balance

Sustainability is all about balance and Nutrilite™ Double X™ food supplement is a great example of how we help people bring their nutrition back into balance. Thanks in large part to our investment in phytonutrient research and continuous formula improvements over the decades, the product is better than ever.

Bringing our world into balance

I believe that we are on the verge of some tremendously positive changes in the world. It’s the silver lining among the stress and sorrow of today’s situation. People now realize what they do matters. They have a sense that their actions can make a meaningful difference in making our world more sustainable.

I believe every person on the planet needs to take care of their body. Every person on the planet needs to eat properly and take care of those less fortunate.

Every person on the planet needs to eat a product like Nutrilite Double X food supplement. We have so much we can do to make this world a better place. To me, that is what makes life exciting and fulfilling, for everyone.

As you can see, my father believed that sustainability was about bringing balance into everything that we do. I would encourage you to do the same and be mindful of everything you do.

Cheers,

 

 

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1. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Overweight & Obesity Statistics. Available at: https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-statistics/overweight-obesity Accessed 10/13/20.