Earth Rhythms

10/22/2025

I will be attending the IMPACT Atlantic Canada Regional event along with my colleagues from in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia. We will be presenting a short story about the impact of FoodArtNature as a collective of regenerative visitor experiences.

See these unique new experiences at:
foodartnature.ca

This project has had some really important impacts:
-Over 20 new experiences have been coached. What's important is that they are visitor experiences that have emerged from "Non traditional Community Partners", not tourism operators. We have expanded the lens by which we included Community Hosts as part of the destination experience.
-Incremental new revenues are occurring as a result of sales of these experiences, to these Community Hosts. These incremental revenues build resilience, by reducing dependence on seasonal or single income products or services.
-Direct ROI to the region includes visitors staying in local accommodations, eating local meals, shopping locally, and using local transports.
-We are equipping Community Hosts with new entrepreneurial skills in experience development, costing and pricing an experience, storytelling, digital videography, and eCommerce.
-Improved productivity is occurring by using smart marketing, a single website and smart eCommerce platforms.
-Workforce development is being helped because we now have over 15 local Community Hosts who are capable in Experience Hosting, Regenerative Tourism practices, and digital promotions.
-The FoodArtNature collective has built a strong based of digital storytelling assets.
-While rooted in our local region, the FoodArtNature collective of experiences targets high value international travellers, local residents, Canadian leisure travellers, and local group and conference markets.
-Several of the experiences are offered either year-round or in the fall and winter months.
-The target market is small group, values-driven travellers who prioritize authenticity, often willing to go off the beaten path.
-Jobs are created as experience coaches, project managers, videographers, photographers, seasonal hosts.

Overall, FoodArtNature supports regional economic development through productivity, growth, diversification, and demonstrates a high ROI model.

Most important, values drive the business model of FAN. Regenerative practices are built into all of the FAN experiences, so that sustainability is not something extra to be checked off. Profitability, inclusion of diverse community members outside of the traditional ecosystem, and giving back to the community are the pillars of FAN.

https://impactatlanticcanada.com/

Join Us in St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador, October 26-28, 2025

10/07/2025

Yesterday, we shared the development and emerging story of how a grassroots community initiative called Foodartnature (FAN) offers regenerative visitor experiences. These new experiences collectively help both visitors and residents slow down and spend time with local Experience Partners who have created engaging ways to host a new revenue-generating experience on their farms, in their studios, and in local forests and gardens.

Speaking to the Canadian University and College Conference Organizers Association conference at Acadia, our keynote workshop included Wil Brunner (Host of Annapolis Valley Forest Bathing), Julie Rosvall - Textile Artist (Host of First Impressions: Nature Print Making), FAN Project Manager Leann Grosvold and myself as coach and co-founder of FoodArtNature.

Using a multi-method approach, we offered presentations, videos and two custom micro-experiences within the conference room with 65 participants to help inspire them to think about partnering with Community Hosts in their communities, when they go back home.

Thank you Acadia Catering & Events and for the opportunity.

09/27/2025

I was interviewed by Impact Sustainability Travel & Tourism, about my life and work. What emerged was a retrospective. I will be back at IMPACT in Victoria in January, along with two other amazing sustainability leaders, and we will be leading a new workshop on simple and executable regenerative practices that reflect leadership and results.

Reflecting the Soul of a Place: A Conversation with the IMPACT 2025 Award Recipient, Celes Davar. This year’s IMPACT 2025 Award celebrates a visionary who has long believed that the most meaningful travel experiences don’t just take place on the main stage; they unfold in community halls, hidden...

09/22/2025

Would you like to find out what makes our Wabanaki (Acadian) Forest so special? Join Soren Bondrup-Nielsen and Riley Scanlan, authors of The Wabanaki Forest, for a full day field course on Sunday, September 28! To register for this course, follow this link: https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/wabanaki-forest-connect-appreciate-and-understand-full-day-course

09/12/2025

An interactive hands-on experience with flowers, food, and nature in Alma, New Brunswick. With Coastal Blooms, a small regenerative flower farm beside Fundy National Park, in collaboration with Friends of Fundy. What a spectacular stage and setting.

09/12/2025

A stunning new experience has just been created by Coastal Blooms with the Footprints and Flavours of Fundy experiential tourism initiative in southern New Brunswick! Offering hands-on design-your-own-centrepiece with flowers and wild plants from the home gardens of Coastal Blooms and delicious quiche from their own ducks’ eggs on this regenerative small floral farm.

09/12/2025

This week, I have had the opportunity to take part in the pilot testing and filming of two new Footprints and Flavours of Fundy experiences in southern New Brunswick. They included time in nqture, engaging hands-on activities, local foods and adeptly facilitated storytelling. This experience has been developed and hosted by

Stay tuned for more experiences like this! Well done!

09/06/2025

It’s that time of year, to explore the golden charm of our country. Landsby invites us with many opportunities to consider.

Canada’s Golden Hour Celebrate the season of harvest, journeys through glowing landscapes, and retreats that feel like home Harvest & Culinary Celebrate the season’s flavours From vineyard tastings to farm-to-table feasts, autumn in Canada is all about abundance. Savor the harvest and meet the m...

08/22/2025

IMPACT Sustainability Travel & Tourism Conference Comes to Atlantic Canada!

IMPACT is a leading sustainability summit for global travel & tourism that is held annually in Victoria, BC. This year, an IMPACT Atlantic Canada conference will take place in St. John’s, Newfoundland, October 26th - 28th, 2025. It is part of the broader IMPACT series of events focused on sustainability in tourism across Canada. This conference will gather tourism professionals, community stakeholders, policymakers, and sustainability champions from the Atlantic provinces to exchange ideas and develop practical solutions for a more responsible tourism industry.

By convening a diverse array of stakeholders, the conference aims to equip participants with actionable strategies and inspiration to implement sustainable practices in their operations, enhancing the visitor experience while safeguarding the region’s environment and culture.

Registration can be found here:

Join Us in St. John's, Newfoundland, October 26-28, 2025

07/25/2025

The program for IMPACT Atlantic Canada (Oct. 26-28) is looking great. A quick reminder that early bird fees end July 30. Hotels are booking up.

https://impactatlanticcanada.com/

A great opportunity for all tourism stakeholders in Atlantic Canada (DMO staff, event planners, economic development officers, tourism officials, provincial and federal staff involved in tourism, tourism operators and businesses) who want to create a sustainable future for the travel and tourism industry in our region.

ABOUT THE ATLANTIC CANADA REGIONAL EVENT
Each regional edition of IMPACT brings the national conversation to the local level, focusing on the specific challenges and opportunities within a community or region.
This year, we’re proud to host IMPACT Atlantic Canada in St. John’s, Newfoundland, a place rich in history, creativity, resilience, and natural beauty.

This regional gathering will spotlight the tourism stories, leadership, community and innovations of Atlantic Canada. It’s a space to learn from each other, explore place-based solutions, and collaborate toward a stronger, more sustainable tourism future in our region.

THE SPIRIT OF IMPACT
We believe tourism can, and must, be a force for good.
The IMPACT Conference is grounded in:
-Collaboration over competition
-Local wisdom and leadership
-Real-world, actionable solutions
-Respect for people, place, and planet

Whether it’s your first time attending or you’ve been part of the IMPACT community before, you’ll find inspiration, connection, and momentum for the work ahead.

I hope to see colleagues from Atlantic Canada there.

Join Us in St. John's, Newfoundland, October 26-28, 2025

07/23/2025

When you land in the Annapolis Valley, so much feels right. And, that's how Rachael Robertson and her experiences with Foodartnature feel - just right.

Time is well spent with Rachael as she introduces you to their farm, spectacular view of the Minas Basin from on top of South Mountain in the Annapolis Valley.

Apothecarian, storyteller, and a great sense of humour.

Tucked into the rural heart of Nova Scotia, Robertson’s Farm & Apothecary is where Scottish expats Rachael and Calum Robertson grow herbs, raise Highland cat...