[permaculture] [Fwd: [SANET-MG] Sust Ag standard moves into highgear]
christopher nesbitt
christopher.nesbitt at mmrfbz.org
Wed Oct 1 23:33:24 EDT 2008
I'm with Scott on this. Vague references to "sustainability" are,
what would be called in marketing, "low calorie", and the issue they
seek to adress: "2) the place of genetically engineered crops in
sustainable
agriculture; " makes me think this is another green wash for business
as usual. Certifying something as "sustainable" means whatever the
certifiers want it to mean, and that "issue" suggests to me that they
intend to find a place for GMOs in their "sustainable" world view.
Hype is a very good word for this prattle.
On Oct 1, 2008, at 9:20 PM, Scott Pittman wrote:
> I'm a little confused as to why this is included on the
> permaculture site it
> is total Greenwash with no substance. It is all the usual pigs at the
> trough of a new marketing concept. Nowhere is sustainability
> defined but it
> is pandered as if it was a gift to the Amerikan consumer in the
> name of
> protecting us from something other...
>
> I think we do a disservice by promoting this type of hype on our
> listserve.
>
> Scott Pittman
> Director
> Permaculture Institute
> www.permaculture.org
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: permaculture-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org
> [mailto:permaculture-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of
> Lawrence F.
> London, Jr.
> Sent: Wednesday, October 01, 2008 8:03 PM
> To: permaculture
> Subject: [permaculture] [Fwd: [SANET-MG] Sust Ag standard moves into
> highgear]
>
> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: [SANET-MG] Sust Ag standard moves into high gear
> Date: Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:57:06 -0700
> From: Michael Straus <michael at STRAUSCOM.COM>
> To: SANET-MG at LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU
>
>
> MEDIA RELEASE
>
> Media contact:
>
> Amanda Raster, Leonardo Academy
>
> <mailto:Amanda at leonardoacademy.org> Amanda at leonardoacademy.org,
> 608-280-0255
>
>
> First National Sustainable Agriculture Standard Setting Initiative
> Moves
> Into High Gear
>
> Industry, NGOs, Academia and Government Representatives
>
> Agree on First Steps Toward Building a National Consensus Standard
>
>
> Madison, WI (September 29, 2008) - The first successful steps toward
> developing a national consensus standard for sustainable
> agriculture in
> the United States have now been taken by a diverse, multi-stakeholder
> committee selected to lead this endeavor.
>
> At an unprecedented opening session, more than 50 representatives
> of U.S.
> agricultural production, food and clothing manufacturing, retail,
> government, environmental and labor organizations, academia and
> certification launched historic negotiations over what should be
> considered "sustainable agriculture". The representatives were
> selected
> from a pool of nearly 200 individuals who applied to serve on the
> Standards Committee, the guiding body for development of the standard.
>
> During the meeting held last week, committee members identified
> some of
> the difficult issues that are likely to dominate the discussions to
> come,
> such as: 1) the relationship between organic, mainstream and
> sustainable
> agriculture; 2) the place of genetically engineered crops in
> sustainable
> agriculture; 3) the degree to which sustainable agriculture standards
> should establish a path for continuous improvement; 4)
> inclusiveness of
> small and mid-size farms, as well as mainstream and conventional
> agriculture; 5) the sequestration of carbon in soils and the role of
> agriculture in the global fight against climate change; 6) the
> strength of
> labor protections; 7) the intersection of product safety and
> sustainability; and 8) whether the scope of the standard should extend
> beyond plant agriculture to include livestock and other sectors of
> agriculture.
>
> "The issues involved in sustainable agriculture are complex," said Dr.
> James Barrett, Environmental Horticulture Department professor at the
> University of Florida, who served as interim chairman at the Standards
> Committee's inaugural meeting. "As a result, there are many
> diverse, valid
> points of view that will need to be articulated and considered as this
> process unfolds."
>
> The entire standard setting process is being conducted under the
> rules of
> the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the national
> voluntary
> standards body that has overseen the development of thousands of
> guidelines in nearly every business sector. Leonardo Academy, a non-
> profit
> organization that specializes in using market-based incentives to
> advance
> sustainability and improve the environment, is facilitating the
> current
> process as an ANSI accredited standard developer.
>
> "We were impressed not only by the depth of knowledge and
> understanding
> reflected in the thoughtful comments and deliberations of the
> Committee
> but also by the level of respect for one another's viewpoints and
> concerns, and the willingness at this early stage to seek common
> ground,"
> said Michael Arny, Leonardo Academy president. "The tone set here in
> Madison bodes well for the success of the process moving forward."
>
> Among the actions taken by the Standards Committee was an agreement to
> form work groups charged with the following tasks:
>
> 1. Conduct a needs assessment for the sustainability standard,
> including potential market and agricultural applications
>
> 2. Review and articulate the mission, principles and scope of work
> ahead
> 3. Collect reference documents to inform the standard setting process
> 4. Report on potential methodologies and indicators for measuring
> various
> aspects of environmental, social and economic sustainability;
>
> 5. Identify potential funding sources to support full stakeholder
> participation in the process
>
>
> 6. Outline outreach opportunities for soliciting involvement from
> all affected stakeholders
>
> In addition, the Standards Committee acknowledged "the extensive
> effort
> and hard work of SCS to initiate the discussion on sustainability."
> The
> Committee further agreed to recognize and set aside the Draft
> Standard for
> Trial Use (SCS-001), published by Scientific Certification Systems
> (SCS)
> as a vehicle for initiating the broader standard-setting dialogue,
> as one
> of several reference documents expected to be used in its future
> standards
> development deliberations,
>
> "We appreciate the acknowledgement of the Committee and are
> delighted that
> the draft standard has helped to stimulate this national dialogue
> and to
> get the ball rolling toward the development of a consensus
> standard," said
> Linda Brown, Executive Vice President of Scientific Certification
> Systems
> and Standards Committee member. "Looking ahead, the draft standard
> will
> continue to inform the process, both as a reference document and
> through
> real world examples of companies who are already meeting its
> requirements
> and adopting new sustainability practices in accordance with its
> provisions."
>
> According to Michael Arny, ANSI rules allow all interested
> stakeholders to
> participate in subcommittee deliberations as the standard development
> process moves forward. In addition, ANSI gives the public an
> opportunity
> to weigh in through a formal public review process before the draft
> final
> standard is submitted to ANSI for promulgation as an American National
> Standard.
>
> Leonardo Academy is currently seeking charitable contributions to
> fund its
> work on this standard development initiative and to support active
> participation by the full range of stakeholders in the process. For
> more
> information, please contact Amanda Raster at Leonardo Academy
> (608-280-0255, amanda at leonardoacademy.org).
>
> For more information on the first Standards Committee meeting,
> including
> the approved motions and a list of Standards Committee members, visit:
> <http://www.leonardoacademy.org/Projects/SustainAgStdDevelopment.htm>
> http://www.leonardoacademy.org/Projects/SustainAgStdDevelopment.htm.
>
> ###
>
> Leonardo Academy is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in
> 1997
> with a vision of advancing sustainability and putting the competitive
> market to work on improving the environment. Leonardo Academy is a
> Think
> and Do Tank that develops and distributes strategies, guidance,
> metrics,
> standards, and education focused on increasing sustainability.
> Leonardo
> Academy helps companies, organizations, families, and individuals
> successfully promote, encourage, and implement environmental
> improvement
> through a wide range of sustainability services, including
> sustainability
> assessments and strategy development, LEEDR and LEED-EB
> implementation and
> certification, emissions footprint analysis and emission reduction and
> offset strategies, sustainable land management, sustainability
> education
> and training,
>
> =====================
> Michael Straus, President
> Straus Communications
> P.O. Box 2257
> San Francisco, CA 94126
> Michael at StrausCom.com
> Phone: (415) 777-1170
> Cell: (415) 519-8343
> Fax: (415) 373-3702
>
> * <file://www.StrausCom.com> www.StrausCom.com
> * <file://www.BeyondOrganic.com> www.BeyondOrganic.com
> * <file://www.SustainableNews.org> www.SustainableNews.org
>
>
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_____________________________
Christopher Nesbitt
Maya Mountain Research Farm
San Pedro Columbia, Toledo
PO 153 Punta Gorda Town, Toledo
BELIZE,
Central America
www.mmrfbz.org
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