The trend to “go organic” is gaining steam. With more and more organic products becoming available in mainstream grocery stores every day, an increasing number of people (30% since 2000) are leaning toward a more organic lifestyle and discovering what a difference it can make in their lives, and their health.

The benefits of organic foods and natural living are not new to Ocean Robbins. Ocean was born in a one-room cabin three miles from the closest neighbor. His parents, John and Deo Robbins, grew their own food and raised the family on less than $500 a year.

“Though we were probably considered “monetarily” poor, we were abundantly rich in our surroundings – clean air, clean water, and a beautiful forest,” says Ocean.

Ocean recalls his father quoting Henry David Thoreau: “I make myself rich by making my wants few.” The family’s diet was completely plant-based, and since organic cotton was hard to come by in rural Canada in the 1970s, the Robbins reused and recycled everything they could.

When he was ten years old, Ocean and his parents moved to California, as his father John began writing his international best seller, Diet for a New America (one of many revolutionary books to come from the former Baskin-Robbins heir).

The transition from living deep in the Canadian forest to California was challenging for Ocean. When he discovered just how differently the rest of the world was living, he was inspired to begin his own work to impact the world and change people’s lives.

“There was no way for me to be truly happy knowing so many people were living in misery,” said Ocean.

At 16, Ocean founded YES! (Youth for Environmental Sanity). The organization’s mission is to educate, inspire and empower young people to join forces for a thriving, just and sustainable way of life for all. Now in its 16th year, YES! is going strong, operating from the Robbins’ eco-friendly home and offices in Soquel, California.

“It’s important that we walk the talk,” Ocean says. The Robbins’ home, which is shared by Ocean, his wife Michele and their twin sons, Bodhi and River, and Ocean’s parents, is a shining example of how one can live without dependency on electricity or other fuels. The home and offices are powered by Siemens Solar panels and Trace Engineering invertors that provide reliable power of consistently high quality.

Energy efficient appliances, such as a Sun Frost refrigerator, preserve energy and the family farm provides a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. Bodhi and River are eager to get their little hands dirty harvesting zucchini or berries and are learning how foods are grown and how to live off the land in an eco-friendly manner; the same way Ocean was raised. Clothing is made from organic cotton, and though they try to grow the majority of their food, Ocean is a strong supporter of local growers and farmers markets.

Ocean and Michele both work for YES!, with Michele as the organization’s president. The Robbins and YES! staff spend a great deal of time planning and organizing the YES! Jams, which connect, inspire and empower young visionaries on a global level by bringing together groups of thirty diverse young leaders for week-long Jams to facilitate networking, skills sharing and community-building. You can learn more about YES! at www.YesWorld.org.

***5% of your purchase through November 21st will be donated to YES!