Helge Hellberg is the Executive Director of Marin Organic, an association of organic food producers in Marin County, California.

Founded in 1999, Marin Organic’s mission focuses on the environmental soundness and economic viability of farming and ranching in Marin County. Its members include such well-known names as Cowgirl Creamery, makers of award-winning organic cheeses, Star Route Farms, the oldest continuously certified organic farm in California, and Straus Family Creamery, the first organic dairy west of the Mississippi.

As the primary link between farmers and eaters, Marin Organic is committed to promoting and supporting a sustainable, organic county – a county in which growers and the people who rely on them recognize their mutual interdependence.

In addition to promoting local organic agriculture, Marin Organic has many projects that address environmental issues, such as a Salmon Safe Certification Program, and the Marin Climate Initiative, as well as a variety of programs which focus on community health, such as its Marin Organic School Lunch and Gleaning Program. Every week, this program gives 12,000 children in Marin access to healthy school lunch options – all while working within the school’s limited budgets. The Marin Organic School Lunch and Gleaning Program also addresses seniors and underserved communities throughout Marin, and has become a model for many other regions throughout the U.S.

By restoring ecological and social values to agriculture and realigning traditional expectations of farming with a holistic understanding of ecology, Marin Organic aims to re-empower local communities, foster environmentally sound agriculture, and celebrate local food production. Marin Organic is at the forefront of a movement which is creating a healthy, sustainable, and safe environment for all beings, today, and for generations to come.

For more information on how to get involved or how to become a contributor to Marin Organic, please visit www.MarinOrganic.org.