Born in New York City in the late 19th century, Jerome Irving Rodale was a self-made entrepreneur whose own chronic ailments inspired him to study the relationship between agriculture and health. Influenced by the work of early organic advocate Sir Albert Howard, Rodale concluded that chemical-driven farming came with a host of negative consequences including soil degradation, water pollution, and diminished biodiversity. In 1940, he established the Rodale Organic Gardening Experimental Farm on a plot of land in rural Pennsylvania, and steadily ramped up research efforts over the ensuing years before founding what is now known as Rodale Institute. Though Rodale himself passed away in 1971, his Institute lives on as a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting organic agriculture through continued scientific research, training for farmers, and consumer education.

Organic and regenerative agriculture is a major component of our Responsibility initiative—after all, just like much of the food we eat, most textiles start from the soil—so we’ve been paying close attention to Rodale Institute’s advocacy and educational efforts for years. We have tremendous respect for the work that they do, so we were thrilled when they agreed to team up on a collaboration to spread the word and encourage people to consider where the food they eat—and the clothes they wear—come from.