Our Impact Partners

 

Banyan’s mission is to help people achieve and maintain health and well-being through the wisdom of Ayurveda. Through this journey, we have had the honor of collaborating with many amazing impact partners to help empower clear and meaningful work towards social and environmental goals.

Our community partnerships primarily include non-profits and organizations that focus on community engagement, philanthropy, and environmental and social responsibility. We also offer our Banyan Community Grant Fund, a grant program that supports the good work of selected Ayurvedic and wellness change makers who are serving their communities with community health programs.

We are proud to support and highlight the work our community partners are doing to create a better world.

Organizations We Support

American Botanical Council

American Botanical Council is a nonprofit that is passionate about helping people live healthier lives through the responsible use of herbs and other medicinal and beneficial plants. For nearly 25 years, the American Botanical Council (ABC) has been an independent research and education organization dedicated to providing reliable science-based and traditional information for consumers, healthcare practitioners, researchers, educators, industry professionals, and the media.

 

American Herbal Products Association (AHPA)

Founded in 1982, the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) is a registered 501c3 and is the national trade association and voice of the herbal products industry. AHPA's mission is to promote the responsible commerce of herbal products to ensure that consumers continue to enjoy informed access to a wide variety of herbal goods.

 

The Ayurvedic Institute

The Ayurvedic Institute is an Ayurvedic school and Ayurveda health spa in Albuquerque, NM. It was established in 1984 by Dr. Vasant Lad as a non-profit 501(c)3 organization to teach the traditional Ayurvedic medicine of India and provide ancient therapies. The school offers training and services in Ayurvedic healing including herbs, nutrition, panchakarma cleansing, yoga, Sanskrit, and Vedic astrology.

Banyan co-founders, Kevin and Scott, studied with Dr. Lad and worked on staff at the Institute for many years prior to starting Banyan. Over the years, Banyan has hired quite of few graduates from the Ayurvedic Institute and we continue to maintain a close and supportive relationship with our Master teacher, Dr. Lad, as well as our alma mater.

 

B Lab

B Lab is a nonprofit that serves a global movement of people using business as a force for good. B Lab’s initiatives include B Corp Certification, administration of the B Impact Management programs and software, and advocacy for governance structures like the benefit corporation.

The “B” stands for “beneficial” and indicates that certified organizations voluntarily meet certain standards of social and environmental responsibility, transparency, accountability, and performance, with an aim to create value for society, not just for traditional stakeholders such as the shareholders.

Banyan Botanicals is a proud certified B Corp.

 

Bee Girl Organization (BGO)

The Bee Girl Organization (BGO) is a grassroots nonprofit centered on bee habitat conservation through research, regeneration, and education. Their mission is to educate and inspire communities to conserve bees, flowers, and our countryside.

Banyan Botanicals is sponsoring a multi-year research partnership with BGO and Banyan Farm in Williams, Oregon. During this partnership, BGO will work to identify and catalog current bee diversity. BGO will also advise us on ways Banyan Farm can improve pollinator diversity by utilizing native herbs, vegetables, flowers, and crop pasture mix that provide nutrient-rich pollen for bees—all actions coming with the added value of improving soil, restoring water cycles, and sequestering carbon to fight climate change.

 

Climate Collaborative

Climate Collaborative works to bring businesses from the natural products industry together to work collaboratively to catalyze bold action, amplify the voice of business, and promote sound policy to reverse climate change.

 

Dragonfly’s Garden and the Three Sisters Garden

Banyan is honored to support Dragonfly’s Garden, located in the community garden at Southern Oregon University (SOU), as well as the Three Sisters Garden, located at the SOU Farms. Both are dedicated spaces for students and alumni of the university's Native American Studies (NAS) program to cultivate and harvest Indigenous First Foods and Medicines.

The gardens allow the NAS community to connect to the land, soil, seeds, plants, and foods in their own healing way, including planting, harvesting, and connecting to nature's seasons. Indigenous First Foods are shared with the community by way of harvested plants, recipes, and nourishing cooked foods.

 

J.E.D.I Collaborative

Created by One Step Closer, the J.E.D.I Collaborative empowers natural products companies and leaders that are committed to Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, while also providing the space to work alongside underrepresented communities so we can all thrive. This collaborative provides educational programs, resources, and training programs designed to increase awareness, knowledge, and skills within companies.

In 2022, four members of the Banyan team completed the 9-month JEDI Trailblazer program, inspiring Banyan to make several JEDI commitments and map out a long-term action plan to further our JEDI vision and business practices.

 

Oregon Climate Agriculture Network

The mission of Oregon Climate Agriculture Network (ORCAN) is to advance climate resilience on farms in Oregon through collaboration, education, and policy advocacy. They work with farmers, researchers, technical assistance providers, non-profits, and policy makers to promote, improve, and better understand farming for climate resilience in Oregon.

 

OSC's Packaging Collaborative

 

As members of One Step Closer's Packaging Collaborative, a coalition of over 40 leading companies in the natural products industry, Banyan Botanicals is committed to working together to achieve more sustainable packaging solutions, one of the most complex and challenging problems facing our industry and the world.

 

Our Family Farms

Based in Jackson County, Oregon, Our Family Farms was formed by farmers whose ability to farm and sell their crops has been threatened by genetically engineered crops.

They are a coalition of family farmers and individuals who envision a thriving, sustainable food and agricultural system with seed diversity and farmable land for generations to come. Our Family Farms educates and inspires farmers, policy makers, and the community at large to support regenerative agricultural practices and climate-resilient farming.

 

Sanctuary One

Sanctuary One was founded in 2007 as the nation's first care farm. Their mission is to be a safe place for animals and a healing place for people while promoting environmental stewardship.

Sanctuary One provides a safe home to rescued farm animals and house pets to receive personalized attention, loving rehabilitation, and a peaceful retirement. The farm includes expansive permaculture-inspired gardens which provide food and nourishment for the animals and the people who tend them.

 

Southern Oregon Land Conservancy

Southern Oregon Land Conservancy works cooperatively with landowners and communities to protect the region’s special and irreplaceable lands. Since 1978, they have been helping to safeguard natural lands in order to protect waterways, natural playgrounds, wildlife, and working farms and ranches, as well as our beautiful scenery.

We support SOLC with financial and product donations, and some Banyan team members volunteer to help during their annual fundraiser and working days.

 

The Sustainable Herbs Program

The Sustainable Herbs Program is creating a road map for consumers and companies to have the tools and resources needed to purchase and produce herbal remedies that benefit human health, promote greater social equity, community resilience and biodiversity, and ensure herbs are here now and in the future.

 

The Understory Initiative

The Understory Initiative's mission is to restore native understory and herbaceous plant habitats in Southern Oregon.

Through their Southern Oregon Monarch and Pollinator Initiative, they work with private landowners to create or enhance pollinator habitat, create additional native seed production sites, and help landowners prepare or amend restoration plans to incorporate native seedings. As a sponsor, we are helping The Understory Initiative to plant native milkweeds in Southern Oregon.

 

Vasanta Institute of Ayurveda (VIOA)

Dr. Lad’s long-envisioned dream of creating an Ayurvedic healing and teaching facility that complements his Ayurvedic program in the West was opened in 2013. VOIA offers the opportunity for advanced students of Ayurveda to study and work closely with Dr. Lad in his native India. It is also a destination for those seeking extended panchakarma and specially supervised treatments with Dr. Lad.

The current campus includes residences for staff, students, and patients, as well as a classroom, library, pharmacy, clinical examination room, kitchen, and dining room. The center is located east of Pune in the agricultural countryside. The entire facility has been built to Western standards of drinking water, bathroom design, and all around Western building architecture. Banyan has been a supporter of the VIOA project since its inception and we continue to be closely involved in its ongoing development and expansion.

 

Yoga Gives Back

Yoga Gives Back’s mission is to mobilize the global yoga community to empower women and children in India to build sustainable livelihoods. For the cost of one class, you can change a life. Banyan Botanicals is a proud member of YGB's annual partner program.

“At Banyan Botanicals, we are eternally grateful for the wisdom that flows from India, enlightening our lives. Being a supporter of Yoga Gives Back helps us give expression to this gratitude through the wonderful work they are doing to empower women from some of the poorest families in India. Through sharing our mutual gifts, we can all work together to create a healthier, happier world.”— Kevin Casey, CEO, Banyan Botanicals