Our aching planet just needs you to be thoughtful as you plow into your next venture. If you are, everyone wins, and wins sustainably into the indefinite future. A sustainable business considers the impacts of every facet of its operation and then attempts to address each, from paper consumption to human resources, in a way …
On Friday, the Obama administration took a major step in the long anticipated process of making it easier for commercial aquaculture firms to operate in federal waters. Currently there isn’t any fish farming — the cultivation of everything from bivalves like oysters and mussels to predators like salmon — in federal waters. Only states allow …
US Takes a Step to Expand Fish Farming in Federal Waters Read More »
Last week, I was stunned to read an article in The Telegraph claiming scientists in China “created genetically modified cattle that produce ‘human’ milk in a bid to make cows’ milk more nutritious.” Hold on. Did I read that correctly? Unfortunately… yes. According to the piece, the scientists successfully introduced human genes into 300 dairy …
Scientists Create Genetically Modified Cows to Produce “Human” Milk Read More »
With the world’s population still forecast to grow from 7 to 9 billion by 2050 (all of a sudden 39 years doesn’t seem so far away) despite the 2008 global recession, The Economist has a special report on the state of the world’s food supply chain in its February 26 issue. As food commodity prices …
Business As Usual Will Not Feed Nine Billion People By 2050 Read More »
A New York Times business feature on PepsiCo’s support of Mexican corn farmers has thrust a glowing light on the firm’s business practices, while simultaneously beating the anachronistic drum against the value of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Reporter Stephanie Strom provides an interesting overview of how over 300 poor farmers in San Gabriel, Mexico have …
Social Business Good, Corporate Social Responsibility “Largely Nonsense” Read More »
Now that the news of Whole Foods’ adoption of the Global Animal Partnership’s animal welfare certification is a week old, it’s time to look a bit deeper at both the market demand for this new information, and what costs suppliers must pay to become certified. A few readers expressed their concerns about the economic cost …
The Meat on the Bone: More Details on Whole Foods’ New Animal Welfare Label Read More »
Today, Whole Foods has announced in a press release the adoption of a five-step animal welfare rating system in partnership with the NGO Global Animal Partnership. The system is designed to provide consumers with incentives to purchase animal proteins from sources that are constantly committed to improving the conditions of farmed and ranched animals. The …
Whole Foods Announces Animal Welfare Rating System Read More »
While agricultural experts and other environmental policymakers still debate the overall merits of organic produce and livestock versus their conventional counterparts, Americans are eating more organic turkeys. According to a USDA data set, certified organic acreage for turkey production was up over 4,000% between 2000-2008. Although this accounts for only 0.15% of overall turkey acreage …
Certified Organic Turkey Market Up 4,000% Since 2000 Read More »
I am in Burlington, Vermont attending the Ben & Jerry’s Fair Trade Blogger Fest. Earlier this year, the ice cream company announced its plans “to go fully Fair Trade” for all its global flavors by the end of 2013… definitely an ambition goal. So for the next two days, bloggers from around the country will …
The national conversation on local food systems continues to evolve in complexity, intrigue and now, rigor. On the front page of today’s Chicago Tribune is a story about a University of Chicago geophysics professor who is examining the merits — in carbon intensity terms — of local versus conventional farming. Professor Pamela Martin along with …
Debunking Locavore Nation: U of C Professor Searches for the Truth — With Data! Read More »
Yesterday I took a little bit of a swipe at Bon Appétit Management’s cage-free SHELL egg commitment asking whether or not such move could push the $590 billion commercial food-service market to raise animal welfare standards nationally. Today Bon Appétit (BAMCO) is back in the news with a compelling initiative that preserves summer produce for …
Ohio Takes on California in a Winter Produce Gambit Read More »
Today kicks off the American Business Conference’s 4th part of a global series of Sustainable Agricultural Summits. And what better city for this summit to take place, but San Francisco. California is home to 81,500 farms and ranches and tallied revenues of $36.2 billion last year alone. That figure represents 11.2% of the nation’s total. …
A Meeting of the Minds: Sustainable Agricultural Summit Begins Read More »
Federal Government Asks Fletcher Allen to Teach the Nation How to Scale Local Sourcing in Healthcare (Part II: Taking Local From Trendy to Essential) “The Hospital That Heals The Earth” is a two-part series on the intersection of sustainability innovation and healthcare at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, Vermont. Part 1 of the series …
Vermont Hospital Wants To Be The Greenest Health Care Facility in the US — And Makes a Convincing Case (Part I: Mainstreaming Sustainability) Sustainability, clean energy investment, green jobs and health care reform have all been resounding themes of the first 18 months of the Obama administration. But rarely do we conceive of healthcare reform …