What We Stand For

Since 1946, Paul & Betty Keene and Walnut Acres Organic Farm have been at the forefront of the organic foods movement. Paul and Betty founded the Walnut Acres Foundation to help underserved communities locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. We are proud to continue their work and celebrate their legacy with our actions.

 

Our Mission

The Keene Center at Walnut Acres is a unique educational and cultural venue that provides access to America's First Organic Farm, to wholesome foods, and to the arts.

Our Beliefs

“Nature is our teacher”  Paul Keene

  • We are responsible caretakers of the planet, treating the soil as nature intended without the use of chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides

  • We believe that organic agriculture works in harmony with nature by regenerating and improving the local ecosystem’s overall health

  • We believe that the health of every local ecosystem is dependent on diverse communities and rich culture 

  • We believe that growing, cooking, and eating simple clean foods contributes to our health and wellbeing

Our Philosophy 

“Seeing the great truths that lie all about us as we constantly search for and find our own deep roots, in one another, and the Earth” - Paul Keene 

  • Natural systems work together organically

  • Experiential education fosters personal growth, healthy decisions, and active citizenship

  • The arts and culture enrich minds and communities just as regenerative farming enriches the soil

Our Guiding Principles

“Give back more than we take” - Paul Keene 

  • Demonstrate that natural systems work together in harmony with nature 

  • Nurture the intrinsic value in every person as a keystone of responsible stewardship

  • Enrich each other, the land, and our communities

  • Promote Organic family farms to provide secure local food systems

  • Facilitate open, inclusive, and transparent discussions about our beliefs, values, respect for nature, community health, and the arts 

  • Cultivate culture - the arts are a vital part of all thriving communities

Core Values

“Here in the quiet countryside, we do wondrous things in cooperation with nature” - Paul Keene

LEGACY - We are preserving the legacy of Paul & Betty Keene, Walnut Acres Organic Farm, and the birth of the Organic Movement 

SYSTEMS - We value Paul’s philosophical and regenerative approach to farming and a belief that all systems work together

COMMUNITY - We serve, celebrate, and enrich our local and global communities 

STEWARDSHIP - We live in partnership with each other, the Earth, and all of Nature

REJUVENATION - We promote culture and the arts to revitalize the human spirit to achieve balance, wholeness, and health

EDUCATION - We foster a learning environment that celebrates natural living

INTEGRITY - We promise honesty and transparency in all we do