They’re out of their cages, they’re eating vegetarian and now they’re being freed of their Styrofoam packaging.

What’s next for organic, free range chickens? Vacations to city?

Petaluma Poultry, which lays claim to being the first and the largest producer of free range organic chickens, has determined that if it sells those chickies wrapped in leakless plastic instead of arranged on a foam tray, it can cut down on packaging costs and volume. And not just a little.

“Our tray-less packaging reduces our overall packaging volume by 73 percent,” said spokesman John Bogert, in a statement. The chief managing officer of Coleman Natural Foods which owns Petaluma Poultry, based in California, added that the concurrent reduction in foam landfill waste “makes sense for our consumers, our retailers and the environment.”

Here’s another way the new packaging helps: More chicken wings and breasts can now be stuffed into a shipping box, which reduces the use of cardboard, but more significantly cuts down on the fuel used to transport the poultry.

A lower carbon footprint fits with the company’s tradition of seeking sustainable practices, and Bogert added that Coleman will be looking for similar ways to pare packaging and waste among its other brands. The new poultry packaging is being rolled out, first at Whole Foods and then at other groceries this summer.

Petaluma Poultry produces of “Rocky the Range^“, “Rocky Jr^“, and “Rosie Organic^“ Free Range Chickens.

The company offers recipes too.

Marques De Paiva Medium Roast, 100% USDA Organic Decaf, Swiss Water® Process Ground Coffee, 10-Ounce Bags (Pack of 4)

• Case of four 10-ounce bags of organic medium roast decaffeinated ground coffee (40 total ounces)
• Made with high-grown, 100% premium Arabica beans
• Sweet-toned, intense aroma with walnut and chocolate notes and a hint peach
• Produced chemical-free with Swiss Water process
• From coffee harvested in Minas Gerais, Brazil

If you’re planning a traditional Thanksgiving, you’ll be needing a bird. This year, organic and pastured turkeys are more available than ever. Check your local grocery now, and get on a list if need be. If you really want to try something new, reserve an heirloom variety bird or try one that’s been pre-soaked in brine.

Here are some places to look for a turkey that’s been raised on organic feed, and allowed a more humane existence.

• Local Harvest — If you’re into local heirloom turkeys or other pedigree varieties you may be too late! But don’t beat yourself up over it, local farmers in Texas have told us that many connoisseurs place their orders months ahead of time. Still, there’s a flock of healthier birds waiting. You can order free-range, pastured, organic turkeys online and have them shipped. You’ll pay for the privilege of all those hormone-free, pesticide-free certifications — from $150 to $250 a bird. But these are BIG birds, and they’re freer of chemicals than you are, having been fed organic foods, no additives and animal byproducts. Local Harvest can also direct you to local farmers that sell direct to the public. The online marketplace also offers a panoply of pesticide-free fruits and veggies, including the requisite Thanksgiving cranberries.

• Mary’s Free Range Turkey in Fresno, California. These turkeys are sold locally and in a variety of markets across country. Mary’s touts its turkeys as having a better life than on many commercial farms. They are raised with four times more space on a diet of grains and veg proteins with no antibiotics, preservatives or additives, according to company literature. Rick Pitman, an owner of the 50-plus year old operation, told us last year that customers are increasingly concerned, not just with how organic turkey meat is healthier for them, but how the turkey was treated on the farm. See that article (”Don’t panic there’s still time to order organic“) for more help on sorting out all the turkey labels (organic, organically fed, cage-free) as you ponder what turkey permutation you need for the holiday feast. (Oh and vegetarians, please hold on, we’ll be running some great seasonal recipes from chefs around the country very soon.)

• Whole Foods Market — Our default healthy foods grocer is standing by this season with turkey choices that include birds raised on local family-owned and operated farms, including some heirloom varieties. Whole Foods also offers smoked, pre-brined fresh turkeys, and frozen turkeys. But no matter the type, all the turkeys offered at Whole Foods have been raised on “a vegetarian diet with no animal by-products and they have not been administered antibiotics,” said spokeswoman Cathy Cochran-Lewis. In addition, the organic turkeys have been fed grains that have not been treated with pesticides or herbicides. “Whole Foods Market’s quality standards take into account the comfort, physical safety and health of the turkeys that we offer,” she said. And after that, the palates of customers.  “The free-range and organic birds are our most popular, best-selling turkeys,” says Theo Weening, Whole Foods’ meat coordinator. “Our shoppers really love the flavor of these birds.” The store offers turkey cooking tips on its website.

Ms. Cochran-Lewis said it was too soon to gauge demand for organic and free-range turkeys this year; but a press release from the company notes that free-range and organic birds are the most popular turkeys — at Whole Foods. (They also offer advice on how to cook the roasted bird.)

As for the conventional grocers, organic and veg-fed turkeys are making appearances at Safeway, Kroger and other chains. Publix in the Southeastern United States is offering more through its GreenWise markets, which are freestanding or in-store areas targeting consumers who want natural and organic foods.

But overall, organic turkeys remain a small fraction of the market, according to industry spokespersons.

Related Stories

• Five vegetarian entrees for the Thanksgiving table
• Thinking turkey: Don’t panic, there’s still time to buy organic

Copyright © 2008 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

Organic products are much easier to come by these days. Items with the Fair Trade Certified label also are  expanding and taking up more precious real estate on store shelves.

So far this year, more than twice as many Fair Trade Certified products have been introduced in the U.S. compared to last year. Some 284 products with the Fair Trade Certified designation have been launched compared to 130 in 2007, and as few as 17 in 2003, according to a September report by Mintel, Chicago – a market researcher focused on consumer behavior and product innovation.

The Fair Trade food items include a virtual gift basket of treats: a variety of teas, cocoa, fruits, flowers and chocolates.

TransFair USA, headquartered in Oakland, California, is the governing entity in the U.S. behind products deemed Fair Trade Certified. The nonprofit is one of 20 member organizations worldwide that comprises the Fairtrade Labelling Organizations (FLO) International. TransFair audits agreements between U.S. companies and international suppliers to guarantee that farmers in developing countries around the world use environmentally friendly practices and are paid a fair price for their goods. Farmers in Costa Rica and Ghana have reinvested profits in their communities to build schools, develop improved sustainability practices, and establish health clinics.

Since its founding in 1998, TransFair USA has certified more than 74 million pounds of Fair Trade coffee, which in turn has given coffee farmers in Latin America and Africa more than $60 million more than if they had sold their coffee locally, according to the organization.

Most U.S. consumers were introduced to the concept of Fair Trade Certified products with the help of coffee marketers.  Fair Trade, which asks consumers to buy products at a “fair price” to be socially responsible, initially seemed like a niche market. But it has gone mainstream. From 2001 to 2006, retail sales of coffee grew tenfold to $730 million, cites TransFair USA, in a recent Brandweek article. When worldwide retailer Wal-Mart joined the fold, Fair Trade Certified coffee sales really began to percolate.

Fair Trade products were available only at specialty retailers, such as Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, as well as online, when they were introduced to the U.S. In recent years, however, Fair Trade products have moved onto store shelves in big-box discounters Costco and Target, and mainline grocery stores like Kroger. See the Transfair website for where to buy products.

After more than a decade in existence, TransFair USA now certifies tea, cocoa, sugar, fruit, rice, and flowers. With the organization’s fifth annual Fair Trade Month, held in October 2008, it’s counting wine among the products it recognizes and certifies. Certified chocolate bars are available in many grocery stores, as well. Look for Green and Black’s chocolate made in the Dominican Republic and Belize, El Rey from Venezuela, and Valhrhona from Trinidad.

For consumers who are taking copious notes on the growth of Fair Trade, there are businesses like Divine Chocolate, based in the United Kingdom, that are entirely farmer-owned.

Copyright © 2008 | Distributed by Noofangle Media

So you need to replace your mattress, and you want to do the green right thing, for your health and for the environment. You may be trying to reduce your overall carbon footprint, or perhaps to choose a product that’s better for your health. Ideally, you can do both.

Unfortunately, there is a plethora of “natural,” “green,” “eco-friendly” mattress solutions out there, some with a hefty price tag. How’s a consumer to know what’s worth springing for – and what’s not?

Conventional mattresses are very likely to contain chemicals, some potentially toxic to humans and/or harmful to the environment. One way to go green is to choose a mattress with fewer chemicals or no chemicals.

My husband and I went the less-toxic, rather than 100 percent chemical-free, route. We bought a new mattress from Keetsa, which offers an alternative to the traditional memory-foam mattress. We had been shopping for a Tempurpedic because we loved the feel of “memory foam” (made of visco-elastic polyurethane). But polyurethane, a petroleum product, releases gasses from volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can cause respiratory harm. They’re also highly flammable, which makes them more likely to be treated with chemical flame retardants.

Friends who were in the same boat recommended Keetsa. We zipped over from the mattress discount warehouse to Keetsa’s San Francisco showroom, lay down on the Tea Leaf Supreme, (pictured below) a mattress they said contained lower-emission memory foam blended with green tea leaves, anti-bacterial silver and organic cotton. We were instantly transported to mattress nirvana.

The price, at $1,759, was a little higher than Tempurpedic, which runs about $1,499 for the lowest-priced model, but we felt good about the reduced VOC emissions (almost zero, according to Joe Alexander, the sales and marketing director, pictured), and the fact that our mattress and its modular box spring were packed in boxes we could fit into our car. Keetsa’s mattresses are made in China in a Keetsa-owned factory, Alexander said, which is is “ISO 900″ rated for quality management and pays a “living wage.”

There are other green mattress options for chemically sensitive people, or those who are committed to 100 percent organic materials. Northern California-based Lifekind, Inc. makes what it says are 100 percent organic, chemical-free mattresses in its Yuba City factory. (Their “organicpedic” natural rubber mattress is pictured above.) The company was started by chronically chemically sensitive Walt Bader, who wanted to make beds in which he could sleep.

Sylvia Seymour, a Lifekind representative, said, “It comes down to what we’re exposing ourselves to for a third of our lives.” Lifekind’s mattresses are made from three ingredients: pure wool (used both as stuffing and quilting material and as a flame-resistant barrier), certified organic cotton, and 100 perent natural rubber, harvested from rubber trees, imported in powder form in tightly sealed metal drums, and reconstituted in the U.S. and formed into the mattress core.

Lifekind sells organic mattresses with metal inner-springs as well. Lifekind’s prices for king-sized mattresses, until Sept. 1, 2008, range from $2,595 for the “Euro” (which is a completely natural-rubber mattress) to $3,695 for the OrganicPedic, a three-layer natural-rubber bed geared toward people with pressure point discomfort. Other companies offering fully natural rubber mattresses with organic wool and cotton include FloBeds ($1,949 to $2,949) and Organic Mattresses, Inc. All three companies make and ship their beds from their own U.S. manufacturing facilities.

Conventional mattresses may have chemicals in the materials they’re made of (typically polyester, polyurethane foams, synthetic latex, Styrofoam and nylon), with additional chemicals introduced in the form of flame retardants, required by the government.

A 2007 national fire-resistance standard for mattresses requires a tougher test than ever before, resisting ignition when exposed to open flames. Mattress manufacturers can make mattresses meet the standard any way they choose. Some use fire-retardant chemicals. Some use chemical-free, naturally fire-resistant fabric barriers. Some use a combination of both.

A mattress made from organic cotton or wool doesn’t necessarily mean it’s free of fire retardants or other chemicals, but, because these materials are more inherently flame-resistant than foam, they require fewer or no added chemicals to meet safety standards. Rubber is naturally flame resistant and wool is being increasingly used as a non-toxic fire-resistant barrier in mattresses. Organic materials – those grown without pesticides – are a greener choice because they are better for the environment.

However, Sonya Lunder, a senior analyst at Environmental Working Group, a health and safety watchdog group, said, “Organic fabrics don’t necessarily offer any health and safety benefits to the consumer.”

The Environmental Working Group is concerned about health and safety hazards, though, and some mattresses do present such dangers to consumers.

The group has published research on PBDEs, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, which have long been used in foam furniture as flame-retardants — and have been found to cause developmental harm. Thankfully, the most commonly used form of these chemicals was withdrawn from the U.S. market in 2005. So you can be pretty sure your new U.S. or European-made mattress is free of the banned PBDEs.

But your new mattress could have other chemical flame retardants in it, such as brominated hydrocarbons or chlorinated TRIS, a cancer-causing chemical that was banned from children’s sleepwear in 1977. Most manufacturers won’t tell you which chemicals they use as flame-retardants because they consider it a trade secret. As the environmental group’s Lunder said, “There isn’t really any system for directing manufacturers toward the least-toxic products.”

And toxic they can be, some consumers claim. One previously healthy Texas woman, Tanya Tollefson, shared a horror story about health issues both she and her husband experienced that started as soon as they brought their new standard mattress home. Tollefson said the couple’s symptoms ranged from weepy eyes, to severe headaches and tinnitus. These symptoms continued unabated for two months until they replaced the mattress with a wool-wrapped, 100 percent natural latex one from FloBeds (pictured above).

“We got the mattress in the home and within the first week we started noticing these health issues,” said Tollefson, a mother of three in her 30s. “Several that started occurring at the same time, and they finally went away or subsided after the mattress was out of the house.”

“As soon as the mattress was gone, Damian’s headaches were gone. The weepy eyes quit.”

While they don’t know for certain whether their symptoms were related to chemical flame retardants, or the mattress materials, or both, theirs is not an isolated example – other consumers share their mattress-related health issues at Chem-Tox, a website put together by a professor at the University of Florida.

As Lunder mentioned, few U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations exist to monitor indoor air quality, but there is an independent certification, Greenguard, that can give consumers some measurable information about the levels of chemicals their mattresses release into the air.

The Greenguard Certification Program is an industry-independent, voluntary third party testing program for low-emitting products and materials, overseen by a non-profit organization, the Greenguard Environmental Institute. The Greenguard Online Product Guide features products which are regularly tested to ensure their chemical and particle emissions meet acceptable indoor air quality guidelines and standards. A search on the guide turned up 16 mattresses with Greenguard certification, from three companies: Lifekind, Naturepedic (baby products), and Organic Mattresses, Inc.

The Environmental Working Group maintains a list of PBDE-free products, including mattresess, cribs and futons. IKEA is one company on the environmental group’s lists as phasing out all PBDEs from their products. European Sleepworks, also on that list, sells mattresses certified by a Swiss association, Oeko-Tex (which claims to thoroughly test its textiles for harmful chemicals and health hazards).

Companies that sell greener products sometimes go the extra mile to try to green their business model as well. Both Keetsa and FloBeds compress and pack their mattresses into boxes that fit in a standard car (Keetsa) or can be shipped by standard shippers like UPS (FloBeds). Keetsa doesn’t use delivery trucks, and sales and marketing director Joe Alexander said they could fit five times as many mattresses into a standard shipping container than traditional mattress companies, further reducing the business’ overall carbon footprint.

The bottom line? A little research can go a long way towards a greener night’s sleep.

Photo: Veruska 1960 | Dreamstime.com

Backyard barbecues and Shakespeare in the Park picnics are the perfect opportunities to whet one’s whistle. But before you pack your cooler or portable wine or tea party, consider ways you can enjoy your favorite beverages – during the holidays and yearlong – while also caring for the environment.

More from GRN
Sample These Organic Beverages

A growing number of companies and suppliers are tapping into the beverages market with an eye toward serving up green options. Consumers, and the environment, stand to benefit greatly from their increased focus. By purchasing organic and eco-friendly products, we’re casting our votes for the environment and ensuring that those who are devoted to organic and sustainable farming are able to maintain their commitment and thrive.

With the recent resurgence of Biodynamic farming, wine drinkers can uncork some unique wines made from holistically grown wine grapes. Biodynamics, a step beyond organic farming toward a more personal interpretation, was introduced in 1924 by Austrian philosopher and scientist Rudolf Steiner through his lectures and book, Spiritual Foundations for the Renewal of Agriculture.

While grape-growing and winemaking can seem downright scientific, think of Biodynamics as an agricultural method that not only considers the grapevines and their soil, but their surrounding flora and fauna – all working together interdependently. This trend is taking root among farmers who want to gain even more control over the crops they’re cultivating and Biodynamic products are achieving accolades.

The consumer is king when it comes to preserving the environment. The choices you make – even on the most seemingly insignificant purchases – steer and inspire companies, farmers, and everyone in between to create and sell evocative products. Armed with the following handful of guidelines, you can confidently choose and experiment with the best options for your next tea party, tailgate, or wine-accompanied tête à tête.

Buy Local

Donna Schwenk, along with her daughter Katie, owns online retailer The Organic Affair in Stuart, Florida, along the state’s Treasure Coast. The entrepreneurs only sell their favorite, respected products, including organic teas from Numi and Blackberry Pond Tea Company and formulations for making iced tea.

“Being from a small, Southern town, I’ve been drinking tea forever,” says Schwenk. “Buying locally and supporting and sustaining a local market are excellent green investments – especially in today’s economy. Local organic growers need local support. The savings in fuel and shipping costs alone would be staggering if we invested in our local farmers.”

Wine also can be a local affair. In the U.S., California wines are popular, but wine lovers from Pennsylvania to Texas to Colorado can partake of vino grown in their state. Check WineEvents.com for hundreds of listings of local wine tastings and festivals.

Microbreweries have been chanting the “buy local” mantra for decades. Their ranks have expanded, too, which can be attributed to consumers’ appetite and thirst for diverse beer styles that are local. The Brewers Association keeps tabs on United States craft brewers and each year estimates beer volume sold by brewpubs, microbreweries, and regional craft breweries.

The association’s 2007 estimates indicate that the United States boasted about 1,450 breweries, including some 1,400 small, independent, and traditional craft brewers (defined, in part, by having an annual beer production of fewer than 2 million barrels). Nearly 70% of craft breweries are brewpubs that sell most or all of their beer on-site, cites the association.

Buying beer made locally reduces the amount of fossil fuels typically required to ship the beer and keeps sales profits in your hometown.

Buy Organic and Biodynamic

Organic beers have grown in popularity in recent years and they’re leading the pack among niche beer drinkers looking for bolder, more distinctive flavors in hops, barley, and other ingredients. And while it’s typically the boutique brewmasters that attract attention for their funky and fresh craft brews, behemoth brewers are tapping the market for its revenue potential and in hopes of capturing an additional niche of beer-drinking customers.

Brewers across the board, including $16 billion Anheuser-Busch, are successfully crafting popular organic beers. Anheuser-Busch, the #1 U.S. beer maker, introduced in late 2006 its Stone Mill Pale Ale, made with 100% organic hops.

At #2 in the US with nearly $5 billion in sales, Miller Brewing Company launched its own organic brew, Henry Weinhard’s Organic Amber Ale.

Tea producer The Hain Celestial Group, a $900 million specialty foods company, has built a sturdy foundation with a products portfolio that includes items the likes of Saphara, an organic fair-trade certified tea. Saphara chases after a sophisticated tea drinker with its elegant White Tea with Schizandra.

The depth of a product’s organic certification can elude some consumers, so read the labels and decide for yourself which level of “organic” suits you. The National Organic Program (NOP), which is part of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), sets guidelines for processing and labeling organic products and manages a list of allowed and prohibited substances.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) also has a hand in labeling organic fermented beverages. Currently, there are four categories for organic wines: 100% Organic, Organic, Made With Organic Ingredients, and Some Organic Ingredients.

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau maintains information about the latest in organic beer labeling and the National Organic Program, along with the USDA, governs the labeling of organic teas.

To receive Biodynamic certification, wines, spirits, and other drinks are typically certified in the United States by Demeter International, the largest certification body established in 1928. To be Demeter-certified Biodynamic means that the agricultural producer has been certified organic, then works to meet certain criteria that involve more rigorous standards to become Demeter-certified. Currently, there are 90 farms within the United States that are members of Demeter International.

Brew Your Own

As president of Seven Bridges Cooperative, Amelia Slayton has become an expert in organic home brewing. From the group’s Santa Cruz, California, headquarters it sells homebrewing supplies for beginners, as well as savvy beer and mead handcrafters. It’s one of the few organizations to stock packaged ingredients that are certified organic. The craft of homebrewing has gained momentum in recent years, thanks to the green movement. Dialing up the quality of home brew by using organic ingredients is the next facet to brewing at home to capture a new audience – and new idiosyncrasies – with the USDA seal of approval.

“Organic homebrewing supports organic farmers,” says Slayton, “and in a small way helps fuel demand for more organic malt and hops. Organic hops, in particular, have been largely neglected by large commercial breweries because the USDA’s National Organic Program allows non-organic hops in beers that carry the USDA organic seal. Until the past year, when hop shortages drove up the price of conventional hops so that they are now about the same price as organic hops, many large commercial breweries have benefited from the selling value of having the organic seal on their beer without spending the extra time and money to use organic hops.”

Consider the Container

Slayton points out that with homebrewing comes control over the container, as well. “Homebrewing has a much lower environmental impact for some obvious reasons,” says Slayton. “There is a lower carbon footprint because the beer is made at home and not transported. Beer is 90% to 95% water, so when made at home, only the ingredients are transported. Also bottles are reused by homebrewers.”

Buying a keg of beer from a local brewery would be another way to use a container in an eco-friendly way. Microbrewers use large containers called growlers that are reusable, too. For the most part, beer or wine glass bottles are recyclable, as are aluminum beer cans. Some companies are experimenting with PET plastic bottles for wine, an area of hot debate, because while the plastic bottles are lighter to ship and are recyclable, they’re a petroleum product and may not keep the wine fresh for as long as glass.

While many teas come in disposable pouches, several organic brands are sold in recyclable one-pound bags, notes Schwenk. Many teas also are packaged in post-consumer cardboard boxes.

Consider Sustainability

The New Zealand Winegrowers Association has set a lofty goal of becoming 100% sustainable by 2012. (The country has Zero Waste initiatives, as well.) So why the aggressive push? “Sustainability, or kitiakitanga as practiced by the Maori, is ingrained in the culture,” says David Strada, the association’s U.S. marketing manager. Maori, meaning “original people,” are the settlers who inhabited New Zealand before Europeans arrived in the early 1800s. “New Zealanders have great respect for their environment and take their responsibility to preserve it very seriously,” says Strada. “In addition to being important to New Zealand and its people, it is also good for business over the long run. The commitment helps to preserve and renew New Zealand’s resources, as well as (lower) its carbon footprint.”

Organic wines, grown anywhere, take sustainability into account. The problem for wine enthusiasts is the tradition of choosing from a global menu of delectable French, Chilean and Italian wines, when you don’t live in France, Chile or Italy. This raises an eco-dilemma for consumers aware of the debates over how far a product can reasonably travel and still retain its environmental credentials.

Products that are otherwise similar, but developed and distributed differently carry varying levels of environmental impact. There isn’t an easy answer here for the conscientious consumer. Products don’t carry a travel journal and a company’s supply chain management isn’t always so transparent. There are some general tips to take into account, however, when choosing products made outside your local area, beyond the borders of the United States, and even as far as New Zealand.

“The environmental impact of buying foods from distant lands can be counterintuitive,” says Strada, who notes that imported items can make sense. Consumers should consider that the carbon footprint of shipping from New Zealand is greatly lessened by the country’s environmental practices of using less fertilizer than most other regions and relying on power that is 70 percent hydro-generated, he said.

For more on these matters, check out a growing list of books on the topic, such as Slow Food Nation: Why Our Food Should Be Good, Clean and Fair, by slow food movement founder Carlo Petrini and Alice Waters.

There is promise in the future of tea, beer, and wine. Dedicated farmers and suppliers are looking for ways to improve their operations so that they are proactively caring for our environment. The thoughtful purchases we make to support them, ensures that they can continue to hone their craft. Knowing how and where these products are made, as well as the quality of their ingredients, will tell you if your purchase is a savvy one for the environment and for its sustainability.

Copyright © 2008 | Distributed by Noofangle Media

On the surface at least, large organic cotton producers in the U.S.A. may seem to have little in common with someone harvesting organic grains on a small family farm in Italy. Nor is there much overlap between gatherers of bat guano in Madagascar for use in organic fertilizers, or the laborers who sort through organic tea leaves in China.

But a conference this week in Modena, Italy strives to unite such disparate players in the growing worldwide market of organic goods.

The 16th IFOAM Organic World Congress, June 18-20, is expected to draw 2,000 people to hear keynote speakers ranging from top scientists to cultural icons such as the founder of the “Slow Food Movement,” Carlo Petrini.

IFOAM, the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements, is a non-profit organization that represents 750 organizations in more than 100 countries. Some of the world’s leading organic practitioners, policy makers, scientists and others convene annually for the conference. This year’s topics are as wide-ranging as those in attendance. Workshops include industry challenges such as third party certification, internal control systems and development of world-wide standards for organics.

A day-long session will address farming practices and the ways organic agriculture can help to combat climate change. Participants will also meet to discuss specialized topics like textiles, wines and cosmetics.

Bolivian President Evo Morales is scheduled to talk about the need for modern leaders to draw on the wisdom of indigenous ancestors.

American presenters include Frances Moore Lappé, author of the book “Diet for a Small Planet,” agro-ecologist Miguel Altieri, from the University of California at Berkeley, and obstetrician Michel Odent, a pioneer of natural childbirth.

Copyright © 2008 | Distributed by Noofangle Media