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This post is dedicated to Horst Rechelbacher, founder of Aveda and a game changer in the cosmetics world advocating for beauty products that are healthier for people and the planet. Horst also founded Intelligent Nutrients, a line of impeccable body care products so organic and clean you could eat them. Horst passed away peacefully at his home in Osceola, WI, on Feb. 15, 2014, at the age of 72.

I met Horst in 2007 when I served as Director of The Organic Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing scientific research and education about the benefits of organic food and farming. Horst was a major benefactor of the Center, and in working together at The Organic Center and subsequently as advocates of GMO labeling, we became friends. In visiting with him and his wife Kiran on numerous occasions in Minneapolis, Wisconsin and elsewhere, I learned more of his business philosophy, his commitment to health and the environment, his approach to product formulations, marketing, style and art, his great love for people and the planet, and his kindness and generosity. He enriched the world as much as he was enriched by what he did for it, and us. Though I only met him later in life, he left a great influence, and his friendship is a gift I will treasure.

In April 2012, we had the great honor of featuring Horst as the keynote speaker of At the Epicenter, a quarterly entrepreneurship speaker series my company produces in partnership with Best Organics Inc., a leading brand promotions and organic gift basket provider based in Boulder. In this 14-minute video segment, conducted in a CEO-armchair style interview with Seleyn DeYarus, CEO of Best Organics, Horst shares his story and his approach to business and life.