I’ve never been dirtier, accosted by as many bugs, and felt as privileged as I did last week to be in the wetlands of Louisiana.

I was sent to the Gulf Coast of Louisiana last week to represent EFFECT at the In Good Company trip created and conducted by the good people of Clif Bar. I knew there was a wetland land loss problem and I knew we would be planting. Aside from that, I was clueless to the reality and severity that surrounds these disappearing lands and the work it took and will continue to take to rebuild them.

Once in Louisiana, it didn’t take long to recall my fourth grade education of the Mississippi and the great Mississippi Delta. The largest river system in North America, the Aorta of our country. One would think I’d have had a more diverse education of the Mississippi living in Minnesota; home to the head waters and the river that divides our Twin Cities. What I saw occurring at the mouth of the river and our countries most diverse area of resources and wildlife was awful. A football field of land lost every 30 minutes. It’s because of this land loss that Katrina had the ghastly effects it did. A combination of man made channels, cuts and oil dredging has caused significant erosion of our wetlands and thousands of acres of lost land and vegetation due to salt water intrusion.

One mile of wetlands protects against a foot of storm surge. Each year, storms like Katrina will only become worse as the first line of defense, the wetlands, is quickly disappearing. There are MANY ecological and economic factors that should make the preservation and rebuilding of the wetlands a number on priority (ie; supplies 30% of North America’s seafood, supplies 25% of North America’s Oil, fourth largest port in the world and first in North America, contains 40% of the North America’s total wetlands). Unfortunately, it is not being seen as priority by many of us who benefit from the resources of the Mississippi Delta and the the Louisiana wetlands. This is why In Good Company invited us down there.

With 10 other like-minded companies we set out to plant over 4,200 burlap soil sacks that would each hold between 1-3 native wetland plants. The area we worked on was labeled the most crucial and high priority land loss area of the wetlands by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. The hope is that after a few years, these plants will grow to replace 20 acres of lost land. These restoration efforts have been done a couple time previously this year by Restore the Earth Foundation and with huge success.

This was an extremely small step to rebuilding and protecting the wetlands, but one that we’re all hoping will bring attention to the work that needs to be done, and an example of how restoration efforts can be sustainably and successfully accomplished. It was more than a privilege to be in Louisiana last week and work side by side with the people behind the companies and brands that EFFECT so strongly supports. AND thank you Louisiana for the genuine hospitality, the music, the dancing, the food, and the chats.