dahinda meda, April 14, 1940 – April 10, 2016
Love, Nature, harmony, pray, peace...
dahinda, with family and loved ones at EcoFarm, 2016
The organic farming and environmental activist world lost one of its greatest champions when dahinda meda passed from this world on April 10, four days shy of his 76th birthday. dahinda (whose name means Tree Frog Medicine Man in the Ojibwe language) was a pioneer in many ways and lived life with the utmost positive vibe.
After a successful career in architecture he deeply desired to change agriculture, and in 1971 he and friend “Deke” Dietrick created World Ecology Corporation. They offered integrated and organic biological, entomological, and nutritional programs, services and products for farms, decades before these became popular. dahinda is best know to the EcoFarm community as co founder/partner of Café Mam, the first organic coffee company to establish fair trade relations with Mayan families in southern Mexico. Ethics and excellence were his hallmarks. dahinda and his family created a successful business offering the highest quality coffee while ensuring farmers and the environment were exceptionally well cared for. Café Mam, a major sponsor of Eco Farm, donates 20% of its profits to pesticide reform. A former member of the Conference Committee, dahinda, was the first speaker at Eco Farm to present growing organic blueberries, based on his experiences at Royal Blueberries in Eugene, Oregon. His blueberries were, and continue to be, the best blueberries I’ve ever enjoyed. dahinda was very active in the Oregon Country Fair, as board member and co-creator of the Vegmanics crew, which cares for hundreds of acres of plants at the fair. For years he was the Greeter at the Fair, showering all with the mantra “You can’t get in without a smile”, a public showing of his inner happiness. Famous for his smile, he persevered after two strokes. Even when cancer slowed him physically he maintained his positive outlook right up to his passing.
To learn much more about this amazing man download the free PDF of his memoirs (which he completed while very ill, a month before passing) at www.suzipro.com. Here are his opening words: “I am so blessed, and I am so happy. My life is so many stories, so many good friends, so much love. I give thanks for my life, for my dreams, and for my destiny, sacred as a tree and shared forever. Family members, abundance, community. Peace!” I feel him smiling now. Fly onward dear friend.
By Amigo Bob Cantisano 6/6/16