Among the stellar organizations that Mountain Rose Herbs works with, our Fair for Life partnership is one that we are particularly proud of due to the demonstrable good that it does. Its principles impact people and the environments they live and work in around the world, as well as our community here in Eugene, Oregon.

If I had a quarter for every time I’ve found myself guiltily staring down at the seed-speckled mushy remnants of a squash I freshly gutted, I’d be retired and roaming somewhere around the Oregon Coast by now. “What in the world am I supposed to do with all these seeds?,” I’d grumble to myself as the seeds seemingly stared back up at me with a desperate look of maybe, just maybe, this will be the day I use them to their full potential. Repurposing seeds that would otherwise be destined for the compost bin can feel intimidating, time-consuming, and messy (full disclosure – the messy part is true!).

On a warm October afternoon in 2021, roughly 40 personnel from Oregon forest agencies, area tribes, and conservation groups, including the Long Tom Watershed Council, gathered on the Andrew Reasoner Wildlife Preserve outside Eugene. Among them were a dozen Native American firefighter trainees who had spent the week learning the essentials of wildfire suppression. That the culmination of their training would be the deliberate burning of an eight-acre parcel of land might strike some as contrary, even outrageous. As a former National Park Ranger who served as a firefighter in the early 90s, this certainly flew in the face of the training I’d received.

Irradiation of food is a topic that is increasingly showing up as a point of concern for Mountain Rose customers, so I want to take a minute to talk about this timely subject. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of food irradiation in 1963 to kill bacteria, molds, insects, etc. in wheat and flour. Today, the FDA has approved irradiation for fruits, vegetables, eggs in the shell, spices and seasonings, sprouting seeds, poultry, crustaceans and shellfish, and red meats. Food irradiation involves exposing foods to one of three different types of ionizing radiation: gamma rays from cobalt-60, x-rays, or electron beams. The FDA uses this technology to improve food safety and extend storage and shelf life. Meanwhile, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organics Program (NOP), which oversees the nation’s organics labeling, prohibits the use of irradiation to treat organic products because the process alters the natural state of food. These two opposing views present consumers with something of a conundrum.

You already know that Mountain Rose Herbs is a purveyor of organic herbs, essential oils, teas, and exceptional botanical offerings. And you've probably read that we are serious about putting people, plants, and planet before profit with everything we do: from supporting sustainable agriculture to encouraging employee volunteerism. What you may not have known is that in 2018 these values led us to become an Oregon Benefit Company.

With so many options on the shelf at the grocery store, not to mention the enormous number of food selections from online sources, it is difficult to know that the food we eat is nutritious, delicious, and free of unwanted pesticides or preservatives. We see a lot of hype around one certification or another, with new standards being presented to us all the time. How do we know that the food we put on the table supports the health of our families, communities, and the planet?

At Mountain Rose Herbs, botanicals are our business, and the industry has been growing year over year as more people realize the health-supporting benefits of our plant allies. Sounds great, doesn’t it? In many ways, this is a wonderful return to valuing the abundance the natural world has to offer while utilizing the myriad benefits that botanicals provide. Unfortunately, the ongoing and increasing impact of overharvesting wild plants has left many of our native populations at significant risk of decline or even extinction. For this reason, we have invested our time and energy in striking a balance between increasing the availability of the number of botanicals we offer and supporting the conservation of the most at-risk plant varieties. 

Believe it or not, employee wellness programs have existed for the better part of the last 100 years. For much of this history, the programs have focused on the physical aspect of health while ignoring other facets of an individual’s wellbeing including mental health and work/life balance. In the past, wellness programs often included structured times throughout the workday to stretch or get some exercise, but research shows that programs such as these are often underutilized by the employees themselves. Why is this, and what have these attempts at workplace wellness been missing? At Mountain Rose Herbs, we recognize that the workday is just a fraction of the lives we all lead. If we want company-sponsored initiatives to effectively promote health and wellbeing, they must extend beyond the office to improve the overall quality of life.

As many of you know, longtime owner, Shawn Donnille, returned to an active role as CEO of Mountain Rose Herbs at the beginning of 2020, just as the first Covid-19 cases were reaching Oregon. Like so many companies, we were deeply impacted by the realities of trying to do business during this time. Now, after navigating Mountain Rose through a radical restructuring, Shawn is able at last to step back and pass the day-to-day operations to two trusted, longstanding employees. We want to express our gratitude to him for being the driving force that pulled us through such trying times, and we want to let you know about the exciting leadership changes we’re making.

Lithia Park is a lively cultural hub in the heart of Ashland, Oregon. Each year, over a million people visit the bustling, yet peaceful park to stroll, jog, cycle, or just admire the landscape that winds along the brisk Ashland Creek. The 100-acre park also provides habitat and food sources for many species of plants, pollinators, animals, and fish. The well-balanced ecosystem of the park is attributed largely to the integrative maintenance practices that were put into place in 2010 which allows less than 1% synthetic herbicides and pesticides to be used within the park, and then only if there is a severe public safety hazard present.

I love the peace of knowing that I have both the skills and stock on hand to thrive in most of the situations life throws my way. I can confidently rely on my resourcefulness and forethought to help me whether I can’t get to the grocery store for a bit, need to pinch some pennies, or just ran out of laundry soap. The efforts that I put into this lifestyle are also in line with my sustainability goals and significantly reduce the waste generated from my household.