FTSLA News

July Webinar: Communicating Sustainability Practices With Impact & Integrity

When: July 29th 11 AM Pacific/2 PM Eastern Time
Cost: $50 non-members, $25 for FTSLA members (50% off), free to FTSLA sponsors (FTSLA members and sponsors, use member center login for discount)
Registration & Details: Sign up and get more info online
Questions or registration issues? Contact Melissa Schweisguth

Summary: Consumers, business customers and other stakeholders are showing increased demand for responsible practices and sustainable products. Organic companies face an imperative and an opportunity to communicate about their good efforts related to business and farming - and the benefits for people and planet. As claims permeate the marketplace, stakeholders are becoming more savvy and seeking verification. This engaging, informative, interactive session will provide new tools and tips to share your sustainability story - including organic practices - with impact and integrity.

Speakers:
Jen Maxwell-Muir, Founder and Principal, Maxwell PR
Maria Emmer-Aanes, Director of Marketing & Communications, Nature's Path Foods
Melissa Schweisguth, Director of Membership & Education, FTSLA

Save the Date: 2/9/11 Annual Member Meeting/Retreat
FTSLA is planning our annual member meeting/retreat to be held the day before the Organicology conference. We'll offer on meaningful peer exchange to build sustainability programs and success. More details forthcoming.

Provender Conference Sustainability Workshops, Oct. 6-8
FTSLA is coordinating two sustainability workshops at the Provender Alliance Conference:
* Social Sustainability: Giving Back in the Workplace & Community
* Strategies for Sustainable Sourcing
FTSLA's Executive Director, Natalie Reitman-White will facilitate these insightful sessions with experienced peers and experts. Learn more and register online.

Board Elections
Welcome newly-elected board members:
Ron Leppert (Sundance Natural Foods), Alissa Becker (UNFI) and Rebecca Thistlethwait (Lundberg Family Farms)

Thanks to reelected and continuing board members:
Diana Crane, Kathy Larson, David Lively, Melody Meyer, Nate Morr, Jim Pierce, Maureen Royal, Jyoti Stephens, Cecil Wright.
Your dedication to our work is much appreciated and we look forward to continued progress together.

Deep gratitude to outgoing board members for your service, helping us accomplish much to date:
Marla Carlson, Diane Dempster, Rick Lejeune, Prudence Ferreira.

More information on our board is available on our website.

Organic Summit Registration Discount
The Organic Summit, held 10/13, is partnering with FTSLA to offer a $100 discount ($495 net cost), good through 9/10. Registration includes attendance to Expo East and All Things Organic, which are co-located. Use code "FTSLA" when registering.

Member News

Welcome new member!
Turtle Mountain Foods recently joined FTSLA. We'll share more information about them in a future e-newsletter.

Member Updates
Ashland Food Co-op's sustainability initiatives were featured in Cooperative Grocer. The article is now online.

Farmer Direct Cooperative has become the first company to be certified under the Domestic Fair Trade Association program, through Quality Certification Services. Their products will now carry the fairDeal label. They also submitted their first sustainability report to FTSLA, available in the online member center.

Nature's Path Foods announced the recipients of their $50k "Gardens for Good" grants: Vallejo People's Garden & Damayan Garden Project. They also became the first company in Canada to be Non-GMO Project certified.

Organic Valley CEIEIO, George Siemon, was named one of the US' most promising social entrepreneurs by Business Week.

Organically Grown Company (OGC) launched a new promotional campaign for GROW Bananas, a program operated by Organics Unlimited. OGC's GROW banana premiums total $378,000 to date, and have helped support medical clinics and social programs in Colimia, Mexico.

UNFI is now designating Non-GMO Project verified products in its catalog and website.

Job openings with FTSLA members
Frontier Natural Products Co-op is hiring a Director of Sustainability

Please see our previous e-newsletters and twitter feed for previous job postings that may still be open.

ANSI Sustainable Agriculture Standard Update
By Jim Pierce, FTSLA representative

The third meeting of the ANSI Sustainable Agriculture Standards Development Committee took place on June 14-15. This was the first face-to-face meeting following the creation of the working subcommittees, so there was a significant amount of feeling out the process and trying to harmonize the work of the subcommittees.

The loosely organized but dedicated coalition of organic, environmental, social justice and other progressive-minded committee members (known as the 'Earthworms') took a successful stand to challenge weak language and to strengthen the three subcommittees' "Principle Statements." These documents will guide the standards development process going forward. While we were successful and pleased with our influence the gains did not come easily or without cost. Our mainstream agriculture members came away feeling betrayed. Trust has been eroded and that will be a challenge to rebuild. Yet, for those of us who want to see real teeth and substance in the standard this was clearly a victory. Read the Leonardo's Academy's press release on the meeting.

Sustainability Program Tips & Resources

The World Resources Institute recently launched the Global EcoLabel Monitor, a detailed database of key attributes for over 327 environmental and social labels. This is a great tool for comparing and contrasting potential certifications.

FTSLA Director of Membership & Education, Melissa Schweisguth, wrote an article for GreenBiz on 'Ten Tips for Evaluating and Selecting Certifications.'

GreenBiz has launched a "Green Team Center" - an excellent tool for building employee engagement programs, with articles, resources, tips and more.

Sustainability News Headlines

Recent research has yielded more data suggesting organic farming methods result in more beneficial phytochemicals in foods.

New research highlights how organic farming increases biodiversity and enhances pest control, demonstrating additional benefits of organic practices.

The Organic Trade Association challenged the 2010 US draft dietary guidelines for overlooking the health and nutritional benefits of organic foods, just weeks after a Presidential cancer panel issued a report advocating organic foods to reduce cancer risk.

A Harris poll on green purchasing shows growth in green consumerism and offers good insights on modes consumers prefer for sustainability communications.

The FDA has released draft guidance to limit antibiotice in livestock.

For updates on sustainability news and resources, and FTSLA member accomplishments, follow our twitter feed.

Contact Info

Natalie Reitman-White, Executive Director
541.852.0745 or info@ftsla.org