Mud Baron

Mud Baron is a member of the Board of Directors of the Collaborative for High Performance Schools which has thousands of schools that subscribe to its green schools guidelines. He is also a Master Gardener via the offices of the University of California Cooperative Extension. From 2006 to October, 2009 he was the School Garden Program Specialist for the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). He was the LAUSD's only fulltime school garden specialist working with all 1100 campuses. He was the Green Policy Director for the LAUSD, working with the office of LAUSC Board member Margueritte P. LaMotte from 2009 to 2011.

In 2008 he approached the Debbie Levin, President of the Environmental Media Association, about the EMA and its celebrities supporting the organic school gardens program he oversaw in Los Angeles. In 2008/2009 EMA agreed and signed on its first corporate partner. Then in the summer of 2009 EMA partnered with the Kellogg Garden Products Company, a firm primarily in the business of selling sewage sludge, unlabeled, as "compost." Mud Baron warned EMA at the time that Kellogg products contained sludge, and must be kept off the organic gardens.

Kellogg Garden Products Sells Unlabeled Sewage Sludge Products
As noted above, Kellogg sells several products (Nitrohumus, Topper, Amend, and Gromulch) that contain composted sewage sludge obtained from the Inland Empire Regional Composting Authority (IERCA).

(IERCA) is a sewage sludge treatment plant in Rancho Cucagmonga, California. It was created and is operated by the Inland Empire Utilities Agency and the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County. The IERCA treats sewage sludge from municipal waste treatment plants in San Bernardino County in California. It is the "nation's largest indoor composting facility," according to the IERCA website. The IERCA creates and markets SoilPro "biosolids compost," which is treated sewage sludge, and markets it to retail stores, backyard gardeners and other consumers. For example, SoilPro is sold to southern California gardeners in Kellogg Garden Products like Amend, Topper, Gromulch, and Nitrohumus.

According to a marketing case study of Kellogg sludge products:
 * "Over the years, Kellogg has been a credible brand for selling products with biosolids as a main ingredient. Kellogg’s sanitation district partners had the wisdom to let Kellogg experiment with mixing other ingredients with the biosolids, which improved the compost and the composting process.  This improvement resulted in more effective soil amendment products.  These products were sold through specific markets and for specific applications, including top dressing lawns or products specifically designed for planting trees or shrubs.  Biosolids became a valuable ingredient in Kellogg’s plan to help the customer create a beautiful landscape or garden.


 * "Kellogg’s brand and success stem from multiple marketing activities including building strong sales channels, being known for on-time delivery, educating customers in the stores, training store employees, and other resources that provide information about the nature and health of soil. Company officials are credible soil health experts as demonstrated by their focus on quality, education programs, and the fact that they have specialized product lines. These sales and marketing skills and Kellogg’s brand loyalty are valuable assets to Kellogg and its sanitation district partners."

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Kellogg Garden Products
 * Environmental Media Association
 * Sewage Sludge
 * Biosolids
 * Food Rights Network

External resources

 * Mud Baron, Affidavit about EMA school garden program, May 2, 2011.

External articles

 * Jill Richardson, I Never Promised You an Organic Garden, La Vida Locavore, May 3, 2011.