Episode 016 - What is Sustainable Development?

How Plant with Purpose is holistically addressing social, economic and environmental needs. An interview with Philippe Lazaro. 

In this episode of Environmentality. I sit down with  Philippe Lazaro, the creative director of Plant with Purpose, a non-profit based in San Diego that engages in holistic development all around the globe. Plant with Purpose embraces agroforestry and agroecological approaches to restore the environment, stimulate local economies and fortify relationships in communities through faith-based approaches. Specifically, Plant with Purpose plants millions of trees per year, restores watersheds and establishes "village savings & loans associations" (VSLA), to holistically and sustainably empower people around the world.

Philippe and I chat about his experiences in non-profits, and what brought him to the sustainable development world. We also chat about how social issues, like human trafficking, are rooted in environmental issues, like agricultural collapse. Philippe shares stories of success where communities are being alleviated from poverty, how the organization is collecting this kind of data, and how they are improving their model at Plant with Purpose.

We dive deep into the VSLA model, the ecological benefits of trees, the need for diversity in agricultural production and  the power of watershed restoration.

To learn more about the work being done at Plant with Purpose, or to donate, check out their website here.

To check out Philippe's podcast, Grass Roots, click here.