Combating Greenwashing

Noting that it's a time ripe for greenwashing, Food Alliance Executive Director, Scott Exo, announced Friday that Food Alliance had formed an alliance with PASA. Food Alliance is an Oregon based non-profit that certifies farms as sustainable. The partnership will extend food alliance certification processes to farmers, food packers, processors and distributors in Pennsylvania.

Explaining the need for certification, Brian Snyder, Executive Director of PASA, said, "I'm tired of people using the word sustainable any way they want to. It has a specific meaning." Snyder wants to help consumers make informed decisions about their food purchases by giving them a basis for evaluating marketing claims. A third party certification would give credibility to marketing claims.

The certification considers a number of factors including safe and fair working conditions, healthy and humane treatment of animals, and conservation. Use of genetic modified crops or livestock, use of synthetic hormones, and use of non-therapeutic antibiotics are prohibited.

Run the numbers

About a quarter of my notebook is filled with notes from opening festivities of the PASA conference. Already! It was just the first three hours. I can't possibly share all of it with you now. I need time to reflect and talk with others. One thing Executive Director Brian Snyder spoke about which is both illustrative and short, is the attendance.

He said nearly 2000 people are here. There are 32 colleges and universities represented. 100 college students. 1100 farmers representing, to their best estimate, 48,000 acres. People from 30 states and 6 countries. Finally he noted with appreciation, that there are 700 people who are attending the conference for the first time. That number includes me.

So if I feel a little overwhelmed by how much I'm learning, I imagine there are 699 others here who feel somewhat the same.