Robyn O'Brien

About Robyn O'Brien

Robyn O’Brien is the co-founder of rePlant Capital, an impact investment firm, deploying integrated capital from soil to shelf in order to build soil health and financial resiliency for farmers. She is also the founder of Do Good, a strategic advisory firm, and the AllergyKids Foundation. Random House published Robyn’s book, The Unhealthy Truth, in 2009, and her TEDx talks have been translated into dozens of languages and viewed by millions around the world.

Posts by Robyn O'Brien:

December 10 2016

In Memory of Oakley: What We Can Do Together

Robyn O'Brien Food Allergies, From Robyn 0

Today, a family in Florida gathers to honor their 11 year old son, Oakley. Friends are gathering there and around the world for the beautiful boy who loved wearing red sneakers and lost his life to a food allergic reaction.

Since his death over Thanksgiving, no one in the food allergy world can see a pair of red sneakers and not think of him. Zappos even contacted the family because there had been such a run on red sneakers on their site.

In private chat groups and conversations, many of us have gathered over the last few weeks to discuss what we need to do to bring this issue to light. How can we protect our children? How can we stop this epidemic and find a cure?

What can we do to help raise awareness? To go beyond the bubble that is social media?

Host an event at your school and invite your allergist to attend and speak with you.
Meet with your local representatives, educate them on the numbers and how many children this now impacts
Listen—to what the constraints are in your school, your church, your community—so that you can address them.
Find a friend to do this with—none of us have to go through this alone—we need each other as supportive scaffolding as we work to build an environment that is safe for all children.
#livelikeoak and learn more at the Red Sneaker Foundation.

Today, 1 in 13 American kids have a food allergy, 2 kids in every classroom. A life threatening allergic reaction sends someone to the ER once every three minutes. This is not a fad, it is a life-threatening condition changing the lives of families everywhere.

One of the most important issues to come out of these discussions has been around the use of epinephrine. I reached out to Sarah Romano, a friend who is an MD and also a mother of four to get her thoughts. I have an enormous amount of respect for her.

My friend, Dr Sarah Romano, also known as the Allergist Mom, shares what else we can do below:

As an allergist, I personally carry some of the pain and responsibility for each and every person who dies from anaphylaxis. Have we done enough? Have we educated the patients and their families enough? Do we make it clear that each reaction has the potential to be serious regardless of what previous reactions have looked like? Have we impressed upon each and every patient and parent the importance of always having swift and easy access to injectable epinephrine? Do they truly understand the critical need for early administration of injectable epinephrine during a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis)?

Both delayed administration of injectable epinephrine and having asthma are important risk factors for death from anaphylaxis. Allergists know this. Our patients must know this too. Our families must know this. Our school and camps must know. First responders must know. We also all need to know that we do not need to fear giving injectable epinephrine. We need to understand how effective injectable epinephrine is in slowing or stopping an allergic reaction. We need to understand that we must seek medical care for a severe allergic reaction. We need to know that we will never see a needle, that it doesn’t hurt that much, that after getting epinephrine patients most often feel some immediate relief from their symptoms.

I consider this education my personal responsibility and I will continue to spread this education as often as I can. We cannot stand to lose another little guy at Thanksgiving, another innocent darling around a campfire or at a birthday party. We all need to understand that this disease isn’t messing around. All of us, from the patients to the parents to the schools to the food industry to the first responders and EMTs to the physicians. We are in this together.

To better understand anaphylaxis, please read:

http://theallergistmom.com/2016/01/12/the-science-of-anaphylaxis-an-allergic-storm/
Sarah Boudreau-Romano, MD theallergistmom.com

November 29 2016

#GivingTuesday: It’s Time for Us to Help Grow More Farmers

Robyn O'Brien Real Food, Solutions 0

On November 18th, I attended an even hosted by the Rodale Institute. The executive director shared some jaw-dropping stats.

Our farmers are aging fast, and few are replacing them. In the U.S., there are six times more farmers over the age of 65 than farmers under the age of 35. Think about that for a minute. We’ve got a rapidly aging and rapidly shrinking number of farmers. I shared the data on Twitter, and some young farmers were quick to respond: “We’re here! We aren’t always taken seriously, but we are here!”

It’s a silent and growing crisis: who will grow our food if the farming population continues to die off and young farmers aren’t taken seriously? Where will our food come from?

Since the introduction of genetically modified foods in the mid 1990s, Monsanto’s chemically intensive operating system has taken over the farm. The numbers should give anyone reason to pause: over 90% of our soy, over 90% of our corn are now genetically modified to be dependent on Monsanto’s portfolio of chemical products—insecticides, pesticides, fungicides, products like Roundup—to grow.

The farm is dependent on a portfolio of chemicals and a patented seed that a farmer is not allowed to save. GMOs fundamentally changed our farming model, from the way it is financed to how it is fumigated.

From about 1982 through the 2007 census, “folks just really weren’t getting into farming that much,” says Bob Young, chief economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation.

It’s confirmed by David Widmar who wrote “The Aging American Farmer,” “One of the most well known trends in American agriculture is the aging farmer. Year after year, the average age of the U.S. farmers has increased. This trend was confirmed, yet again, with the release of the 2012 USDA Census of Agriculture.”

However, Young says the fact that the average age in the 2012 census jumped by another 1.2 years surprised him. “I was a little surprised by the result for this year based on what I’m seeing in the countryside,” Young says. “It seems to me that the age demographic is dropping noticeably in the farm meetings I’m attending.” One thing that might keep some young people out of farming could be the barriers to entry—land prices skyrocketed in recent years, and some equipment, like tractors and combines, can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

According to Widmar, “the largest group of producers is now those older than 65 years, representing a full one-third of all producers. Even more obvious is how few young producers there are. In 2012, those under 45 years only represent 16% of total producers.”

According to the USDA, Census of Agriculture, nationally women were 30 percent of farmers, but only control 7 percent of U.S. farmland, account for 3 percent of sales.

As I listened to the executive director of the Rodale Institute last night, I thought of the flights I’d taken to Iowa and trips out to Kansas, Wyoming, Ohio and into the farm country of Texas, Colorado and Washington, and I thought about the farmer in 4A I sat next to on a flight a few years ago. He wasn’t going into farming. He didn’t like the model, the excessive use of chemicals, the way he felt indentured to the agrichemical companies. I thought about the women who had tried to tell their farming fathers about organic.

And then this morning, Maria Rodale of the Rodale Insitute shared the picture at the top of this article. It was stunning in every way, but urgent after the message her team shared that night.

The organic food market has become a $40 billion industry that continues to see double-digit annual growth. Added to that now is growing demand for crops grown without genetically modified organisms. “There is a lot more demand now for the data on non-GMO crops,” said Kellee James, founder and CEO of Mercaris, a company that tracks the organic market, according to The Progressive Farmer.

So where will our food come from if there is a shrinking supply of farmers? And what about organic?

According to The Progressive Farmer, “growing demand for organic feed is not being met by the industry. Imports of organic corn have gone from 3.1 million bushels in 2014 to a projected 17.9 million bushels this year. Those imports could top 20 million bushels in 2017. Much of that organic corn is coming from Turkey, Romania and Argentina. For soybeans, the organic imports are even higher, hitting 40 million bushels this year.”

That is money left on the table, it is also jobs and revenue that we are handing over to our trading partners because we have not built out the supply, the network and supported organic farming here in the U.S.

What can you do? Please support their work and that of the Organic Farmers Association.

If this important organization can raise $10,000 by tomorrow at midnight, the Newman’s Own Foundation, will give them $10,000. Can you help?

Every dollar helps these farmers. You can support and learn more here: https://www.crowdrise.com/NO-rodale-institute/fundraiser/rodaleinstitute

According to The Progressive Farmer,

“We have had an increasing gap in the supply chain that has been filled by imports,” James said.

Imports made up 40% of the market in 2015 for U.S. organic corn feed and will likely top 50% this year. For soybeans, imports accounted for 78% of the U.S. organic feed market. Between the two, the U.S. is importing roughly $353 million in organic corn and soybean feed—in a country that plants more than 188 million acres of mostly biotech corn and soybeans.

Less than 1% of U.S. farmland is organic. That’s problem enough. There is a need for more than 1 million more acres of certified organic production to meet demand. Even more so is the fact that in the United States, there is a shrinking number of farmers and a shrinking economic incentive to farm. The chemically intensive operating system of GMOs is funded by the government but no longer wanted by the people. It’s time to reverse that—to fund the farming models that American wants. And a growing number of Americans are asking for organic where the returns are increasingly stronger for farmers.

Demand for organic is growing. Companies like General Mills are partnering with Organic Valley, and divisions of Kellogg’s are helping farmers transition to organic. It’s a wide open landscape. At just 1% of our farmland, we are on the 1 yard line of the field with a wide open 99 yards to run in front of us. It’s time to run it back. To bring organic farming into the 21st century.

This short one minute video explains the urgent and important mission of the Organic Farmers Association. Take a minute to watch and learn. Only one minute long.

“We really need to stimulate organic crop production in the U.S. for these markets,” said Peter Golbitz, founder of the company Agromeris, a consulting firm for companies looking for organic or specialty ingredients. “If we continue to rely on imports, we are going to set ourselves up for disaster.”

Please consider supporting the work of the Organic Farmers Association on this #GivingTuesday and always.

#rethinkfood #groworganic

Sources:

http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/data-mine/2014/02/24/us-farmers-are-old-and-getting-much-older

USDA Census of Agriculture https://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2012/Online_Resources/Highlights/Farm_Demographics/

November 17 2016

How Parents Removed RoundUp and Other Pesticides from Their Town

Robyn O'Brien Food Heroes, Solutions 1

Kathleen Hallal is a mother of three boys with autoimmune issues and food allergies. She lives in Southern California and is active in her community school district and PTA, spreading awareness about helping children with chronic health issues.

If you don’t think one person can change the world, you haven’t met the parents from Irvine, California.

As headlines hit last year over the possibility that glyphosate, the key ingredient used in the popular weedkiller, Roundup, had been linked to cancer, parents took action. The World Health Organization issued a report in early 2015 declaring glyphosate a probable human carcinogen. You can learn more from the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

Given that 1 in 2 American men and 1 in 3 American women are expected to get cancer in their lifetime, the City Council of Irvine, California unanimously passed a resolution this year to stop spraying hazardous chemicals such as Roundup (glyphosate) and 2,4-D on public parks, playgrounds and streets—adopting an organic management policy instead. PTA officer Kathleen Hallal coordinated a team called Non Toxic Irvine that secured the ban.

Here is Kathleen’s story of how these amazing parents made this happen:

As parents we are so busy running around between school, sports, and planning for dinner that it’s easy to go about our lives without really paying attention to what is going on in our environment. I was one of those parents. But one day, I noticed a yellow sign in front of my children’s school announcing an application of Roundup Powermax to the campus. Kids were digging with their hands in the dampened dirt of the tree well where that sign was posted while waiting for pickup. I thought, “If those kids are like mine, they will be handed a snack when they get in the car on their way to whatever activity is on their schedule, without washing their hands.” There were dozens of parents and kids walking around, and no one was noticing the sign, or the fact that the kids were playing right beside it. The sign was invisible. This was alarming!

Having learned from farmers, scientists and pediatricians who speak about GMOs that Roundup is substantially more toxic than advertised, I started to wonder how much of it they were applying, and how often, and what else was being sprayed around students. Like many parents of children with health issues who constantly battle to keep their environment and their food clean, I knew this was important. After going out of my way to purchase organic food that was improving their conditions, why had I not noticed all of the spraying going on around them every day? Those yellow notices were everywhere on the different school campuses and around our city. I enquired with our district, and I found out that in actuality quite a bit was being applied, and everyone seemed to think it was perfectly safe. They provided the amounts in ounces, but I learned from a farmer that those ounces created gallons of Roundup. Though employees were required to wear gloves and masks for application (with a shower to follow) while our kids were in class, somehow when the bell rang at 3:00 the moistened soil was seemingly “safe” to touch.

I had several meetings with maintenance, brought in warning letters from scientists and pediatricians addressed to the district, and even brought in a crop expert to meet directly in the offices, all to no avail. At the same time, as PTA Board Chair for Health and Safety for our district, I had invited a farmer and a pediatrician to educate our district’s presidents about the risks of using Roundup and pesticides around our children. After the WHO came out with their statement that Roundup is a probable carcinogen, the presidents agreed to request that the school board stop the use of toxic pesticides in favor of organic and less toxic options. The district finally agreed to stop applying Roundup, which was a great step in the right direction.

Then a really great thing happened: other parents came forward, and a team was formed!

Our board consisted of five parents, each of whom brought individual talents. Ayn Craciun had suffered several miscarriages that she partly attributes to pesticides. She had worked together with Laurie Thompson, a mother of a child with cancer, to stop pesticide use by their homeowner’s association. Kim Konte had been heading up a running club for kids at her boys’ school until she also noticed the yellow signs around the field. We also recruited Bob Johnson, a father from our school who has a background in city management. The board came up with a plan.

We decided about branding and how we would present ourselves to the community in a professional way. We set up a Facebook page, created a website, and started a petition addressed to the school board as well as to the city council. With each signature, a notice was sent to each of the officials, so they would know that there was community support for our request. We contacted a scientist, Bruce Lanphear of Simon Fraser University, who had recently put out a Youtube video entitled “Little Things Matter” based on his study about the cumulative damage of multiple chemicals on children. He provided us with a logo that was similar to his own. Two local professors from UCI, Dean Baker and Bruce Blumberg, also agreed to support our cause and signed on as board advisors. We got press coverage. We contacted Beyond Pesticides to gather studies, and they gave us a grant for expert training for our school district’s crew so they would have solutions other than those taught by pesticide dealers, which is the norm. After we had gathered a few hundred signatures we met with city officials.

At first, staff was reluctant to try alternative methods. The chemical solutions they were using seemed to work well, and they were under the mistaken impression that if a product is listed by the EPA it must be safe. It was not until our school district employees went up to visit the Los Angeles Unified School District, which had been helped by Beyond Pesticides to vastly reduce their chemical use, that they understood it was possible. Our district staff agreed to go even further with the reduction of toxic products in Irvine. This was critical, because we were then able to go to the city to tell them that the school district was moving ahead with a non-toxic program. Support for the city policy change was headed up by Council Member Christina Shea, a cancer survivor. We went into the city council meeting not knowing how the mayor or the other council members might vote. We encouraged many community members to attend the meeting where this issue had been placed on the agenda. Many parents and children spoke in favor of organic practices at the podium. Several families of children with cancer attended, and the 2 minute presentations went on for quite a while. Speakers were overwhelmingly in favor. Then came our moment: the vote. We saw the green lights go on and it was a unanimous YES! Step by step we had convinced the authorities to adopt a toxin-free policy for the sake of our children and our community. Now the signs around our parks and schools say that they are applying organic products.

Robyn O’Brien often says, “Everyone can do one thing.” My wish is for people to come forward and do this in their towns to start a nationwide movement. We need to focus not only on what’s in our cupboard, but also what is going on on the sports fields, for the welfare of our children. There are consultants who can teach your community staff how to change what they are doing in a cost-effective way. Chip Osborne of Osborne Organics trained our district staff. Tom Kelly of Fire Belly Organic Lawn Care is another excellent resource. Beyond Pesticides is has a website that is full of scientific studies to present. The health of pets, children, and community members is of paramount importance, and it is time to begin spreading awareness about what is in that “weed and feed” being used so casually around our communities. For more information and to receive a playbook for your town, please visit Non Toxic Communities on Facebook or visit our website at nontoxiccommunities.com.

NTI is focused on making Irvine, California a complete model of beautiful, non-toxic landscaping, from its city parks, to schools, homeowner associations, retail spaces, apartment communities and more. We also provide resources to people in other cities who want these changes in their towns, and connect people who live close to each other when they contact us.

NTI’s board of directors includes four unpaid but enthusiastic parent volunteers, all of whom live in Irvine: Ayn Craciun, Kim Konte, Bob Johnson and Laurie Thompson. NTI owes much of its success to the support of its academic advisors, UCI professors Dr. Bruce Blumberg and Dr. Dean Baker as well as Dr. Bruce Lamphear of Simon Fraser University in Canada.

November 10 2016

Success: How One Woman Lost 135 Pounds and Dropped 14 Medications

Robyn O'Brien Solutions, From Robyn 3

This week, we elected another president under whom I will continue to do this work. In the last decade, we’ve had both Republicans and Democrats in the White House and in control of Congress, and one thing is certain: regardless of what is happening in DC, we are driving massive change in the marketplace.

In no way is this more obvious than in the personal stories that so many of you share. They are incredibly inspiring and highlight the impact that we can have on our health. They inspire others to take control and to do the same.

This week, we received a message a woman who lost 135 pounds and was able to get off of 14 medications. The kicker? She worked in the pharmaceutical industry.

Her name is Susan Pierce, and she writes:

“Thanks for what you do. I am ex pharmaceutical biotec, cardiovascular, and respiratory specialist.

I was in a car wreck that stole 20 years of my life through pain and addiction. My own industry almost killed me.

I watched your Ted Talk and my mind was blown at the toxcity of our food supply. Truly your Ted Talk was a “Light bulb,” moment for me.

I started eating organic, used plant therapy, and heavily detoxed. I then rebuilt my systems up with frequency and nutrition.

I lost 135 lbs and off 14 prescriptions. 380 mgs of Oxycontin * Lortabs * Xanax and a cocktail of haze. I lived in total bondage.

You truly were instrumental in helping me take control of my life and save myself.

Thank you for being BOLD enough to live and walk in truth.

Keep teaching, it has ripple effects in the universe.”

When you look at the pictures that Susan shared above, you can see exactly how she is having an impact. Her life has been totally transformed, and that impacts everyone that she impacts every day.

The change really is up to us, every day, we have a choice. We can choose health.

November 5 2016

In 2016: How Real People on Real Budgets Can Afford Organic Food

Robyn O'Brien Real Food, Solutions 9

We have received several emails in the first few days of 2016 asking for tips on how to afford organic food. We get it. When we first started learning about how many additives, genetically engineered ingredients and synthetic pesticides were allowed into conventional foods—and that by law, these ingredients are not allowed in the production of organic food—we wanted to make the shift. But the numbers were totally intimidating, especially with four kids.

In a world in which we are constantly worried about the health of our families, the stability of our jobs, paying the mortgage and all of life’s responsibilities, the simple act of trying to eat healthy often becomes a challenge.

Here was one of the emails that we received:

“QUESTION—Do you have any tips on how to keep costs down when trying to transition to organic? Feeding a family of 6 on a budget is a huge challenge and when I shop organic—sadly I have to make hard choices about which foods I can afford to buy organic and which I cannot.”

Not to mention that if your family is anything like mine, then you’ve most likely got some picky eaters, limited time and a limited budget with which to pull all of this off in a world of soaring food prices.

Thankfully, companies across the food spectrum are waking up to the fact that more and more Americans want organic food. Kroger launched a private label line, Simple Truth Organic, Campbell’s released an organic line, while Nestle said that genetically engineered foods, crops that have been engineered using biotechnology to withstand increasing doses of chemicals sold by the chemical industry, may not be “the answer” that the food industry needs to feeding the world. Those are big moves.

But it can leave a parent, an eater, a mom asking: where to start?

And what’s an eater to do?

Thankfully, there is a lot. Major retailers like Kroger, Costco, Safeway, Wegmans and others are expanding their organic product offering. They realize that this demand for clean food is not a fad or a trend, because conditions like food allergies, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s and others aren’t fads or trends.

Kroger’s share price is soaring as they meet the needs of 21st century families. So here are some tips for everyone, not just words for the “well-nourished who can afford to shop at Whole Foods,” because clean and safe food should not be a function of zip code or socioeconomic status, it is a fundamental human right.

Today, 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women in the U.S. are expected to get cancer in their lifetime. Those are jaw-dropping statistics, and the rates of cancer, food allergies, autism and other conditions are driving a food awakening.

Access to food, labeled to disclose allergens, additives, genetically engineered ingredients & chemicals used on them, is a human right that should be afforded all Americans as it is to eaters in other countries, especially in light of cancer statistics that suggest 41% of Americans are expected to get cancer in our lifetimes.

So here are a few tips for those who want to start buying organic food but don’t want to pay the high price:

Go Orgo-Generic. Major grocery store chains like Safeway and Kroger, and big box food retailers like Costco and even Wal-Mart, now carry their own organic foods. And all foods labeled “USDA organic” are created equal, no matter where you find them. No need to upscale your grocery store when Wal-Mart gets it done.

Buy Frozen. Frozen foods (like strawberries and fish) are cheaper than those that are delivered fresh. So if the prices on fresh produce are eye-popping, cruise on over to the frozen food aisle for a discount.

Eat with the Season. Retrain your taste buds to think like your grandmother did. She didn’t eat strawberries in the middle of winter. Locally grown foods are usually cheaper than those flown in from another hemisphere so if you eat with the season, you’ll be eating more affordably.

Skip the Box, Embrace the Bulk. Food that comes in boxes costs more because of the packaging costs associated with designing those pretty pictures! When you buy in bulk, you’re not paying for all of the packaging, you’re paying for the food which is what you want anyway. So slide on over to that bulk food aisle in Safeway and look for noodles, cereals, rice and beans in your local grocery store.

Support the US economy and Buy Local. You can save money by becoming a member of a local farm (just like you became a member at Safeway or Costco!). How do you find a local farm, you ask? Well, thankfully, the USDA now has a list of online sites to help you find the closest farm near you.

Comparison Shop. You wouldn’t buy a car without comparison shopping, so before you even head out the door you can compare the prices of organic foods at different retailers from the safety of your own computer.

Coupons, coupons, coupons: Organic bargains are everywhere so click on RetailMeNot.com, Organic Deals, or just Google for them.

Grow One Thing. If you’re as busy as we are, there’s not a chance in creation that you are going to be able to feed your family off of your home-grown harvest, but you will find that growing a tomato plant can be incredibly inspiring. And it’s not as intimidating as it seems. So pick one thing to grow — you can do it (we all grew lima beans in cups as kids, right?).

Find a Friend.It is way more fun when you share this adventure with someone else, so be sure to find a friend, share this link and get back to us with your success stories (and if you have a tip that you want to add, please post it in the comment section below!).

Good luck! And keep us posted on your success stories, because as a national family sitting down to our national dinner table, together, we can inspire, create and restore the health of our country.

November 3 2016

Speak Up: How These Amazing Parents Dealt with the Death of Their Daughter

Robyn O'Brien From Robyn 0

Over the last decade, I have met many parents who have lost their children. It is almost impossible to put this kind of sadness into words. Yet in every case, these parents have moved through unimaginable grief by putting love into action.

Their lives become a manifestation of the love they have for the child they’ve lost. I’ve seen it so many times, but in no way, quite as powerfully as the work of David and Grace Gallagher.

Their beautiful daughter Cameron battled anxiety and depression, as many teenagers today do. And as she learned how to manage it, she fell in love with running. It brought a liberty to her pain, a freedom from her suffering.

I’ve run my entire life and have marked almost every meaningful event with a run—from every heartache to every celebration. In the early years of this work, which were gripped with fear and isolating, it was my husband and running friends who held me together, particularly a 6 time Ironman champion. The power of movement and community is strong.

So when my own child began to battle with anxiety, I bought her some running shoes. “Come with me,” I told her. She was in the 8th grade.

“I’m not a runner, Mom,” she said.

“You can be,” I said. And I had her run a mile with me. The mile became two and then three and by the beginning of her freshman year in high school, she joined the cross country team.

Cameron Gallagher knew this before her life was cut short. She died suddenly at the age of 16 at the end of a half marathon. She had found that she could use running to liberate her from her sadness and anxiety. She knew it could help others. And she envisioned a fun run, a 5K, family style, un-timed race to help others and to shine a light on those dealing with depression.

When she died, the Gallaghers turned their pain into purpose, putting love into action, and created the Speak Up 5K Series in memory of their gorgeous girl.

Today, 1 in 5 teens struggle with mental illness but only 1 in 3 will get help.

When I saw the video below, with David and Grace speaking up on this, my first thought was, “This could be any of us.”

And then I thought, “This is us.” These are our friends, our children, our future.

What they have done is extraordinary. What they are doing is a gift to countless families. Please take the time to watch their presentation, to talk about depression and anxiety with your kids and to get help.

We are comfortable and familiar with coaches for everything in our lives—from finances, to French cooking, to football.

Get someone to coach you in this if you or your kid needs help. Coaches make us stronger.

And speak up. One teenager had a vision. Her parents are living it.

When we have the courage to become a voice for change, it is incredible what can happen.

You can learn more about Cameron’s Story here and how to get involved in the Speak Up 5K Series.

October 27 2016

A Love Story: My Acceptance Speech at the 2016 Environmental Media Association Awards

Robyn O'Brien From Robyn 1

This past week, I was honored by the Environmental Media Association and recognized with this year’s green parent award. The irony is not lost on me, as I was born and raised in Houston, Texas, recruited by Exxon and Enron out of business school and worked on an equity team that managed $20 billion in asset. The only thing that was green during those chapters of my life was the money that we had under management.

We moved to Colorado 16 years ago and quickly had four children. It wasn’t until our youngest was diagnosed with a life-threatening allergy that I began to pay attention to how our environment impacts our health.

Today, the statistics are dire: 1 in 2 American men are expected to get cancer in their lifetime and 1 in 3 women. Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in U.S. children, according the to the Centers for Disease Control. In the U.S., 1 in 13 children has food allergies, 1 in 10 has asthma, 1 in 2 minority kids are expected to be insulin dependent by the time they reach adulthood, and the rates of autism continue to increase.

Our children have done nothing to deserve this, and the opportunity to fix this situation is huge. It is an invitation to all of us to lend our talents and skills, to leverage everything that we are to healing our families.

It was an honor to be recognized by EMA, but none of us can do this alone. Together, we can fix this. It gives us the chance to tell the greatest love story of all times—that of healing our loved ones. Please watch and share if you are so inspired.

October 26 2016

BREAKING NEWS: Auvi-Q Auto-Injector Returns to Treat Life-Threatening Allergic Reactions

Robyn O'Brien Food Allergies 0

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by the founder of AUVI-Q. Established by twin brothers who had life threatening food allergies, the two brothers leveraged their personal experience and one brother’s work as a paramedic to invent and design a device for 21st century families dealing with life-threatening allergies. With innovative design, a smarter operating systems and voice technology AUVI-Q talks and walks someone through the use of the device during a life threatening reaction. The voice technology feature is similar to Siri, guiding a patient through use during a life-threatening reaction.

If EpiPen was invented in 1977 for the military, AUVI-Q was innovative in its design: invented in the 21st century by and for people with life-threatening food allergies.

The product design is smart and leverages 21st century technology. It is part of the new frontier in healthcare and represents a health+tech company that meets the changing health needs of our families.

I spoke with the founder of AUVI-Q as the #epigate crisis hit, as the founders had been through so much as a competitor in this space.

With the announcement of the new release of AUVI-Q, kaléo, the inventor of AUVI-Q, commits to making the innovative epinephrine auto-injector with industry-first features available in the first half of 2017 as an alternative for the life-threatening allergy community. Since bringing the company back under the inventors roof, the company will provide new manufacturing and quality system controls to ensure reliable and accurate epinephrine dose delivery.

The release of the device represents a milestones for its founders who originally developed the product because they wanted an easy to carry, smarter technology themselves. Today they now have children who need their Auvi-Q device, too.

On the heels of #epigate, it can’t come soon enough.

Last night, I spoke with one of the brothers and founders, Eric Edwards, and the company’s CEO and President, Spencer Williamson. They shared the following:

“This news represents an important milestone for the life-threatening allergy community, which has suffered from a lack of epinephrine auto-injector options for far too long,” said Evan Edwards, Vice President of Product Development & Industrialization at kaléo. “As the inventors of AUVI-Q, my brother and I have dedicated our lives to researching and developing an innovative epinephrine auto-injector that would do for severe allergy sufferers what the AEDs did for cardiac arrest in the community; namely a product that could assist and guide even an untrained user through a life-threatening emergency.”

AUVI-Q is a compact epinephrine auto-injector with industry-first features, including a voice prompt system that guides a user with step-by-step instructions through the delivery process, and a needle that automatically retracts following administration. AUVI-Q is engineered to help patients and their caregivers to confidently administer epinephrine in life-threatening allergic emergencies.

After regaining the rights to AUVI-Q, kaléo conducted a thorough manufacturing assessment and invested in new technology and quality systems to ensure accurate, reliable and consistent delivery from the product. AUVI-Q is manufactured on an intelligent, high-tech, 100% automated robotic production line with more than 100 automated quality checks on each AUVI-Q, ensuring a streamlined and consistent production process.

Eric Edwards M.D., Ph.D, Vice President, Product Strategy at kaléo, added, “As a patient and parent of children with life-threatening allergies, I know how the moment of an allergic emergency can unfold- with panic and fear- and that is why I believe and trust in AUVI-Q, not only for myself, but also for my children and other families who might have to depend on it. Driven by this reality, kaléo strives for flawless manufacturing to ensure each AUVI-Q is built to exceptional quality standards.”

Kaléo is aware of the epinephrine auto-injector access and affordability challenges confronting patients and is working to engage with various stakeholders, including wholesalers, insurance companies, pharmacies and pharmacy benefit managers, to ensure that all patients regardless of insurance coverage, have affordable access to AUVI-Q.

“We believe that patients should have options when it comes to epinephrine auto-injectors for life-threatening allergic reactions,” said Spencer Williamson, President and CEO of kaléo. “When a health care practitioner prescribes AUVI-Q, determining that it is best for a patient, we believe that the patient should be able to obtain the product without insurance barriers or being subjected to a high out-of-pocket cost. As we prepare to make AUVI-Q available once again in the United States, our priority is to return AUVI-Q to the market as an epinephrine auto-injector alternative that all patients can afford.”

“We are very excited about patients once again having a choice in epinephrine auto-injectors,” said Eleanor Garrow-Holding, President and CEO of the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Connection Team (FAACT). “As food allergy advocates and families personally affected by food allergies, we understand that each person with food allergies has individual needs and comfort levels. Those living with life-threatening allergies deserve innovative products and choices that meet their individual needs. As such, we are grateful that patients will have options when selecting their potentially life-saving epinephrine auto-injector.”

The latest updates regarding the return of AUVI-Q will be available to members of the public who register online at www.auvi-q.com.

About Anaphylaxis

Anaphylaxis (pronounced ana-fuh-lak-sis) is a serious allergic reaction that happens quickly and may cause death. Anaphylaxis can occur as a result of exposure to allergens including tree nuts, peanuts, milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, soy, wheat, insect bites, latex and medication, among other allergens.

About AUVI-Q

AUVI-Q^® (epinephrine injection, USP) Auto-injector is a prescription medicine used to treat life-threatening allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, in people who are at risk for or who have a history of serious allergic reactions. AUVI-Q contains epinephrine, a well-established, first-line treatment for severe, life-threatening allergic reactions that occur as a result of exposure to allergens including food such as peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, dairy, eggs, soy and wheat; insect stings or bites; latex and medication, among other allergens and causes.

Invented by twin brothers Eric and Evan Edwards, a physician and engineer who each suffer from life-threatening allergies, AUVI-Q is a compact epinephrine auto-injector with industry-first features, including a voice prompt system that guides a user with step-by-step instructions through the epinephrine delivery process, and a needle that automatically retracts following administration. In emergencies such as anaphylaxis, it is often individuals without medical training who need to step in and deliver potentially life-saving rescue therapy. AUVI-Q was designed – through careful analysis of the situations where epinephrine is used and with significant input from the allergy community that relies on it – to reflect Human Factors Engineering (HFE). HFE is about designing products or systems that are easy to operate and, most importantly, support correct use, with the goal to remove the potential for error.

Please see the full Prescribing Information and the Patient Information at www.auvi-q.com.

You can learn more about Kaléo, a privately-held company headquartered in Richmond, Virginia here www.kaleopharma.com.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of for any prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

September 21 2016

A Letter from a West Virginia Father and Paramedic about EpiPen Price Gouging

Robyn O'Brien Food Allergies, Health 0

In the last few months, we have heard from families around the country, but perhaps some of the most poignant messages we’ve received are from families in West Virginia. They have watched this story unfold firsthand. As you can imagine, some of the conversations around dinner tables in West Virginia are tough.

So when we received this amazing and heart-felt letter from a father and paramedic in West Virginia eloquently voicing his concern with Heather Bresch and Mylan for their EpiPen price gouging practices, sharing the personal nature of the political issue, we felt it was really important to share.

We are so grateful for all who are speaking out on this issue, as it brings an awareness not only to the skyrocketing price of EpiPens but also to the number of families around the country on both sides of the aisle now struggling with this condition.

Hello Robyn,

As a West Virginia native, born in Wheeling and currently living in Morgantown, WV, I would like to voice my opinion on the EpiPen marketed by Mylan Pharmaceuticals.

As you know Mylan is located here in Morgantown, is well-known as being one of the largest employers in this area and has recently come under fire for the scandal associated with the exorbitant price hikes of their proprietary “EpiPen.”

This issue is near and dear to my heart. I was a paramedic for 30 yrs in this state and know the outcome of untreated anaphylactic shock. This can result from many allergen exposures such as bee stings, shellfish and closest to me, peanuts. My youngest daughter is allergic to peanuts, as are a growing number of children across America each year. As a family, we have had to purchase EpiPens for years to keep close in case of accidental exposure when she was away from home and I always carried a back up with my first aid gear. All schools require parents of children with life-threatening allergies to provide them with an EpiPen, a copy of the prescription and training on how to administer it each school year in cases of emergency. This means that we had to purchase not one EpiPen but multiple devices that could be kept at school when my daughter was younger, one for her to carry with her as she got older and one to keep at home. Another factor to consider with EpiPens is that they have an expiration date, so whether they are used or not, they must be discarded within this timeframe and new ones purchased to be kept everywhere they are needed. We had decent insurance at the time but even with our copay, the devices could be costly when considering the need for purchasing multiples every year, and that was before the recent price hike.

When the facts are broken down, the EpiPen is nothing more than a glorified delivery system for an extremely inexpensive drug that in many cases has the potential to save lives. While I can fully understand the need for companies to occasionally increase prices for certain products based on higher costs required to make and market the product, I cannot fathom the need for a 400% increase in recent years of a device whose main component is a drug that costs around ONE DOLLAR per device. What astounds me even further is the true reason behind the price hike… The increased profit will undoubtedly not be funneled to the workers on the production lines or the creation of more jobs to produce the product or even charitable contributions to find cures for any number of diseases, but as I understand it, at the root of this entire scheme is greed on the behalf of one person at the top of the food chain at this company. The following is an excerpt from an online CNBC article: “As the full retail price for the device rose to more than $600, Mylan CEO Heather Bresch’s annual compensation has soared more than 700 percent, to $19 million. And Bresch, whose father is U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D.-W.Va., last year orchestrated a re-incorporation for Mylan in the Netherlands. That so-called inversion will net Mylan a nice break from U.S. taxes despite the fact that its main offices are in Pennsylvania.”

In my humble opinion as a caregiver and father, this act is nothing less than criminal. The substantial price increase causes a huge hardship for families with no other option but to purchase the EpiPen and knowing that the sole reason behind this act is the sheer greed and selfishness of one person, Heather Bresch, is simply unforgivable.

I wholeheartedly believe that Heather Bresch of Mylan Pharmaceuticals is taking every advantage of cornering the market with her monopoly of this product and the recent news reports of her mother, Gayle Manchin, spearheading an effort to encourage schools to purchase epinephrine auto injectors is despicable. I sincerely hope that no lives are lost as a result of families not being able to afford a dollar’s worth of epinephrine, all over a little bit of money.

Mike Katona

September 20 2016

Dr. Bronner’s Leaves the Organic Trade Association and Announces IFOAM

Robyn O'Brien Real Food, Solutions 0

For any movement to be successful, there have to be multiple voices and organizations coming together to influence the conversation. In no way is this more obvious than what we just demonstrated with #epigate. Parents from around the world joined together to help American families take on Mylan pharmaceuticals. Multiple organizations joined forces. Those that once accepted Mylan’s money came clean, broke up with them, and tomorrow, there is a Congressional hearing to begin the investigation into their unethical business practices.

The same thing is needed in the food movement. We need to create and have multiple organizations come together to tackle the myriad of issues we now have in our food system – from the retail level all the way down to the soil. Every voice matters.

Perhaps one of the most important issues that we face is our shortage of organic farmland here in the U.S. Right now, organic is less than 1% of all farmland in the U.S. David Bronner is a superstar. And with his vision now locked in on expanding organic agriculture, expect huge yields. His company joins a growing number of other companies doubling down on these efforts. They can’t come soon enough.

Dr. Bronner’s Announces Resignation from the Organic Trade Association and Escalates Commitment to Organic Agriculture and Other Causes

VISTA, CA – Dr. Bronner’s, North America’s leading natural brand of soap and organic body care products, has resigned from the Organic Trade Association (OTA), citing the association’s betrayal of the consumer-led GMO labeling movement, and general drift away from the core principles that drive the organic movement. The OTA compromised their initial position of opposition to the DARK Act and lent the crucial support that allowed anti-labeling legislators to push that same legislation through the Senate and be signed into law by President Obama this summer. For further background, Dr. Bronner’s CEO, David Bronner’s August 3^rd statement in the Huffington Post is available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-bronner/on-the-organic-trade-association_b_11306156.html

Following the resignation, Dr. Bronner’s has pledged to instead use its organizational resources to help power consumer, farmer and industry organizations that more authentically and courageously represent the vision of regenerative organic agriculture, versus the disaster of soil destroying industrial agriculture.

“We are particularly thrilled to support Rodale’s new Organic Farming Association and the expansion of their regional teaching farms across the country, as well as participate in the North American General Assembly of the International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM) at Expo East*,” says Dr. Bronner’s Cosmic Engagement Officer (CEO), David Bronner. “We encourage all true organic companies, whether they choose to remain a part of the OTA or not, to support and participate in both,” continues Bronner.

*IFOAM’s North American General Assembly will be convening on Thursday, September 22, 2016 from 5:00 – 8:00 PM at Pratt Street Ale House, 206 W Pratt St, Baltimore, MD 21201 to coincide with the Natural Products Expo East trade show.

While maintaining its commitment to strategic progressive initiatives in general, Dr. Bronner’s also is pleased to be deploying resources to help campaigns win minimum wage, cannabis reform and animal welfare battles in various states this November:

Bronner’s donated $250,000 to the Fairness Project to support campaigns to lift the minimum wage to $12 by 2020 in Colorado, Arizona and Maine; and $13.50 in Washington. Dr. Bronner.’s was also active in the campaign to raise the minimum wage in Washington, D.C. to $15 by 2021, which achieved victory in June of this year, and also celebrated major movement victories in Oregon, California and New York earlier this year.

Bronner’s, working with allies New Approach and the Marijuana Policy Project, is dedicating more than $660,000 into responsible cannabis legalization and regulation campaigns in California, Massachusetts, Maine, Arizona and Nevada. The expected sweep of these states will exert enormous pressure on federal lawmakers to end the racist outdated policy of cannabis prohibition, that shreds productive citizens’ lives and families for no good reason, and focus law enforcement resources instead on actual crime.

Bronner’s, working with allies at the Humane Society of the United States, recently gave $100,000 to the Yes on 3 campaign in Massachusetts to end the cruel confinement of veal calves, egg-laying hens and pigs in that state.

“Looking forward, Dr. Bronner’s is particularly keen to help power and coordinate the animal welfare and regenerative organic movements, in their common aim to end the horribly cruel and unsustainable factory farming of animals, fed by monoculture deserts of carbon and water intensive grain,” adds Bronner. “One-third of the Earth’s surface is covered in arable farm and range land. Regenerative practices can restore soil health and organic matter relatively quickly, and coupled with a global commitment to eating much less but much more humane and sustainably raised animal products, can also significantly mitigate climate change.”

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Dr. Bronner’s is a family business committed to honoring the vision of founder Emanuel Bronner by making socially and environmentally responsible products of the highest quality, and by dedicating profits to help make a better world. Dr. Bronner’s commitment to progressive business practices, social justice and environmental sustainability is part of the company’s mission to put into practice the principles that inform the philosophy printed on the company’s iconic soap labels written by founder Emanuel Bronner. The company is the top-selling natural soap maker in North America and a major brand worldwide. Based on 2015 sales, a bottle of Dr. Bronner’s soap was sold, on average, every 3 seconds throughout the year.