Meet Lanette Sobel | Plant Doctor, Worm Farmer & Soil Enthusiast

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lanette Sobel and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lanette, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit, so working for myself and starting my own business came naturally to me. Fertile Earth Worm Farm is my third business, which I started in 2009 at the age of 30.

It came about because I was working as a visiting researcher for Dr. Daniel Meeroff, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Florida Atlantic University. He was doing a study on best sustainability management practices for hotels. At the time, I was interested in being a sustainability consultant and there were no University degrees available, so this was how I learned the trade.

One week we did waste audits on two hotels in Miami. For whatever reason, I was so excited the night before I couldn’t sleep. Dr. Dan is a waste water expert (among other things) and had explained to me how landfills really work. They’re essentially holding cells with plastic liners that degrade over the course of 50 years. Moisture is kept out, so the only real source of moisture in the cell is usually from organic matter, which trickles down, picking up heavy metals and toxins, forming a toxic soup called leachate. Unfortunately, we haven’t figured out how to neutralize leachate yet and this liquid can contaminate our water supplies.

The day of the waste audit we deep dived into some dumpsters and sorted everything. We discovered that these hotels were producing about one ton of organic waste for every hotel room every year. With 20,000 hotel rooms in just Miami Beach at the time, that was a lot of organic matter going to the landfills! I researched if there was anything we could do with it that was more sustainable and soon discovered that the only option available was to send it to the landfills or incinerate it. So I decided to create an option.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I’m proud to say that we are the OGs of the composting world in south Florida. We’ve been helping commercial entities do something better with their organic matter for the last 13 years!! Almost 7 times longer than anyone else. We’ve also diverted upwards of 12 million pounds of food, feeding countless animals and regenerating our soils.

We also produce the best organic soil amendments down here. We believe in quality, we believe in being stewards of the Earth. We believe in healing ourselves and our community by providing healthy, living soil so we can grow healthy, nutrient-rich foods.

It hasn’t been an easy road, and yes, some days I feel like it’s an uphill battle. But the battle is getting easier. Now we feel that the local governments are supporting us, that more people are waking up and valuing our resources, realizing that there’s no such thing as “waste.” What is “waste” in one circle is just a resource for another.

What keeps me going is the sense that we’re doing something really important. Good, clean soil is the basis of life, alongside clean water and air. The soil cleans, provides food and shelter. Without good soil, we’re in trouble. So, every day, when I see the food we’ve been able to divert from the landfill and the incineration plant, it makes me feel good because we’re contributing to making this world a better place for ourselves and future generations. In my opinion, we can’t keep doing “business as usual.” Things need to change if the humanity still wants a seat at the table called Earth. And being part of the solution is incredibly empowering it. I really love what we do. I love the feeling of being a positive force. I love changing the paradigm of “take-make-waste” and making it circular again, like Mother Nature intended.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Hmm. I’m biased being in Homestead, but there’s so many cool spots here. I’d take them for a dip in the living pool made from carved out coral rock at Aloha Redlands Farm; let them swim with the koi fish and have their dead skin cells eaten by these tiny little fish that tickle you while they do it. Take a shower in the outdoor shower house, walk through the beautiful trees and to the coral waterfall. Do yoga in the chickee hut. Then I’d take them to Robert is Here for some delicious, exotic fruit milkshakes and smoothies. Maybe go on an airboat ride through the Everglades (which is right down the street). Then to Schnebly’s to drink some local fruit wine or beer. Maybe eat dinner there and even watch a movie on the lawn or sing karaoke or country line dance in the brewery.

Then I’d head down to the keys. Go kayaking at John Pennekamp. Eat fresh shrimp at one of the delicious restaurants on my way down to Key West to see the sunset at Mallory Square.

Back up north, I’d show them some cool wall art in Wynwood and hit the beach at my favorite beach spot at 4th and Ocean in South Beach. Then get some delicious French grub at A La Folie on Espanola Way. And let me not forget to see the sunrise while doing yoga at 7 am on the beach.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shoutout to my Fertile Earth Worm Farm team! Without them, we wouldn’t be where we’re at today. Blessed to have such bright, beautiful and helpful souls on our team that make a difference every single day. Paul, Wolfie, Vonte and Anisa, you guys rock!  Much gratitude and appreciation for you guys today and everyday!

Website: www.fertileearthwormfarm.com

Instagram: @fertileearth

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-lanette-sobel-d-p-m-7b61398/

Twitter: @Fertile_Earth

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FertileEarthWormFarm

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/jls7b

Image Credits
Wolfgang Albrecht