Kenny Ausubel is a

social entrepreneur Social entrepreneurship is an approach by individuals, groups, start-up companies or entrepreneurs, in which they develop, fund and implement solutions to social, cultural, or environmental issues. This concept may be applied to a wide range of o ...

, investigative journalist, and award-winning filmmaker. He launched the annual National Bioneers Conference in 1990 with

Nina Simons Nina Simons (born January 10, 1957, in Manhattan, NY) is a co-founder & co-CEO of Bioneers, and an organizer of women's leadership retreats and trainings. Her book ''Nature, Culture & the Sacred: A Woman Listens for Leadership'' (2018) received t ...

. He has received the Buckminster Fuller Institute’s Challenge Award as well as awards from the Rainforest Action Network and Global Green, among others. He emphasizes the interdependence of all things, and the need to use nature's own diversity, kinship, community, cooperation and reciprocity in finding the urgently needed solutions to environmental and human crises.

Background

At age 19 Ausubel woke up one morning paralyzed on the left side of his body. Unable to see straight or even swallow, he went to several different doctors but none of them could diagnose what had caused the stroke-like symptoms. Out of desperation Ausubel sought alternative forms of medicine where he learned what had caused his health crisis- massive exposure to a chemical called

dioxin Dioxin may refer to: * 1,2-Dioxin or 1,4-Dioxin, two unsaturated heterocyclic 6-membered rings where two carbon atoms have been replaced by oxygen atoms, giving the molecular formula C4H4O2 *Dibenzo-1,4-dioxin, the parent compound also known as ...

, a toxic environmental pollutant. Upon learning that most people exposed to dioxin died of cancer or a stroke, Ausubel realized he was lucky to be alive and wanted to give something back to the world. As part of his recovery process, Ausubel relocated from

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

to be in a healthier environment. After a brief stay in Santa Fe, he moved to a farm just outside town where he met other back-to-the-landers who taught him about

organic gardening Organic horticulture is the science and art of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, or ornamental plants by following the essential principles of organic agriculture in soil building and conservation, pest management, and heirloom variety preserva ...

natural building A natural building involves a range of building systems and materials that place major emphasis on sustainability. Ways of achieving sustainability through natural building focus on durability and the use of minimally processed, plentiful or renew ...

composting toilets A composting toilet is a type of dry toilet that treats human waste by a biological process called composting. This process leads to the decomposition of organic matter and turns human waste into compost-like material. Composting is carried out b ...

solar energy Solar energy is radiant light and heat from the Sun that is harnessed using a range of technologies such as solar power to generate electricity, solar thermal energy (including solar water heating), and solar architecture. It is an essenti ...

, and vegetable canning.

Early career

Hoxsey: When Healing Becomes a Crime

As his health was finally stabilizing, Ausubel's father back in New York City was diagnosed with

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

and died just six months later. This propelled Ausubel on a research mission to learn everything he could about

alternative cancer treatments Alternative cancer treatment describes any cancer treatment or practice that is not part of the conventional standard of cancer care. These include special diets and exercises, chemicals, herbs, devices, and manual procedures. Most alternative ...

. He took a special interest in the Hoxsey Herbal Treatment and produced a film and book about it entitled ''Hoxsey: When Healing Becomes a Crime''.

Seeds of Change

Since the Hoxsey formula was an herbal one, Ausubel became immersed in the world of

botanical medicine Herbal medicine (also herbalism) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. With worldwide research into pharmacology, some herbal medicines have been translated into modern remedies ...

. This pursuit led him to

Gabriel Howearth In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብ� ...

who had spent years with indigenous farmers learning about traditional healing plants and ancient farming practices. In 1989 they founded Seeds of Change a seed company aiming to restore "backyard biodiversity" by selling farmers and home gardeners open-pollinated, nonhybridized seeds from crops grown for generations in the same geographic area. Ausubel served as the company's CEO from 1989 to 1994. He authored ''Seeds of Change: The Living Treasure'' about the company's mission and work.

Odwalla

In January 1995 Ausubel joined the board of directors at

Odwalla Odwalla Inc. () was an American food product company selling fruit juices, smoothies and food bars founded in Santa Cruz, California in 1980 and from 1995–2020 was headquartered in Half Moon Bay, California. Odwalla's products included juices, ...

, an eco-aware juice company.

Books & Films

Ausubel has produced several documentary films about alternative medicine including the feature documentary film ''Hoxsey: How Healing Becomes a Crime''. The film had a special screening for members of Congress at the Kennedy Center. He also founded and operates Inner Tan Productions, a feature film development company, and has written two screenplays. Ausubel acted as a central advisor to Leonardo DiCaprio on his feature documentary '' The 11th Hour'', and appears in the film. Ausubel has written several books— ''When Healing Becomes a Crime: The Amazing Story of the Hoxsey Cancer Clinics and the Return of Alternative Therapies'' (2000); ''The Bioneers: Declarations of Interdependence'' (1995) and ''Seeds of Change: The Living Treasure'' (1994). His most recent book is ''Dreaming the Future: Reimagining Civilization in the Age of Nature''.

Personal life

Ausubel attended Yale and graduated

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

from Columbia University in 1972. He lives in the mountains outside Santa Fe, New Mexico with his wife

Nina Nina may refer to: * Nina (name), a feminine given name and surname Acronyms *National Iraqi News Agency, a news service in Iraq * Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, on the campus of Norwegian University of Science and Technology *No income, ...

and their two dogs.Seed Graduate Institute
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