New Officers and Member Announced; Meeting Now Scheduled for March for the National Sustainable Agriculture Standards Committee

(3BLMedia/theCSRfeed) Madison, WI - November 9, 2010 - Leonardo Academy has announced the new officers of the National Sustainable Agriculture Standards Committee.   They are Brian McElroy of Driscoll’s Strawberry Associates, Chair; Mike Wanless of Tate Dog Wines, Vice Chair; Grace Gershuny of GAIA Services, Secretary; and Will Healy of Ball Horticultural, Vice Secretary.  Michael Arny, President of Leonardo Academy said, “We are pleased to announce these new officers for the Standards Committee and we look forward to their contributions to the committee’s work on developing a National Sustainable Agriculture standard.”

New Member Selected to Join the Standards Committee 
Leonardo Academy announced that Jason Wadsworth, Corporate Sustainability Coordinator with Wegmans Food Markets, has been selected as a new member of the National Sustainable Agriculture Standards Committee in the User Category. Jason brings 21 years of experience in farming and diverse work in the agricultural sector to the Standards Committee. His current expertise also includes leading Wegmans’ sustainability efforts by partnering with the company's business leaders to focus on triple bottom line initiatives that are good for the environment, people and the business. Michael Arny, President of Leonardo Academy, said, “We are pleased to have Jason on the Standards Committee and we look forward to his varied perspectives and contributions to the Committee’s work on developing a National Sustainable Agriculture standard.”

As previously announced, applicants are currently being recruited for the open seats in the Producer, User, and General Interest categories of the Standards Committee. Individuals or representatives of entities that produce, process or use agricultural goods, such as farmers, product handlers, processors, distributors, manufacturers, food service companies, retailers and restaurants, as well as labor groups, consumer groups, agricultural development NGOs, academia, and other parties that are interested in engaging in a national dialogue on sustainable agriculture are encouraged to apply.

Standards Committee Meeting Now Scheduled for March
Leonardo Academy announced that the National Sustainable Agriculture Standards Committee meeting has been rescheduled to March 2011.  This schedule change has been made for two reasons: (1) to provide more time for the subcommittees to develop draft materials for the Standards Committee to review and vote on at this meeting and (2) to provide time to bring the new Standards Committee members who are currently being selected up to speed on the standards process and material before this meeting.  The location and specific dates are currently being secured.

About the Sustainable Agriculture Standard and the Standards Committee
The 58-member Standards Committee is working to develop a national standard for sustainable agriculture under the rules of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The Standards Committee consists of a skilled, diverse membership representing a broad range of perspectives from across all areas of agriculture, including commodity and specialty crop producers; agricultural product processors and distributors; food retailers; environmental, labor, and development organizations; NGOs; trade associations; government representatives; academics; regulators and certifiers.

Supporting the Standards Committee are six subcommittees that have been working since July 2009 to develop the structure of the standard; draft economic, environmental, and social criteria for possible inclusion in the standard; develop communications materials for process stakeholders; and collect resources to include in the Sustainable Agriculture Standard Reference Library. For more information on the subcommittee work, visit:  https://sites.google.com/site/sustainableagstandards/.

Leonardo Academy, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing sustainability, is providing facilitation and process support for the Sustainable Agriculture Standard development initiative.

How to Apply for Standards Committee Membership
To receive an application for membership on the Standards Committee, contact Jennifer Trucks at Leonardo Academy:  jennifer@leonardoacademy.org or (608) 280-0255, or visit http://www.leonardoacademy.org/programs/standards/agstandard/development.html.

Applications must be submitted by 12:00 pm CST on December 15, 2010. Individuals who have previously submitted applications for Standards Committee membership will automatically be placed in the pool of applicants for the current openings.

Beyond the Standards Committee – How to Get Involved
In addition to applying for Standards Committee membership, stakeholders are also invited to participate in the Sustainable Agriculture Standard development process as a subcommittee member, observer or reviewer of the draft standard once it is opened up for public comment.

Subcommittees – Subcommittees are open to membership by all interested parties. Six subcommittees — 1) Economic Criteria Development, 2) Environmental Criteria Development, 3) Social Criteria Development, 4) Structure and Process, 5) Reference Library and Information and 6) Fundraising and Communications — are currently developing the structure of the standard, along with draft criteria, indicators and metrics;  supporting Leonardo Academy’s outreach and fundraising efforts related to the standard; continuing to acquire resources for the Sustainable Agriculture Standard Reference Library; and providing additional recommendations and guidance to the Standards Committee.

Observers – Observers are invited to participate in the standard development process. Observers may attend in-person Standards Committee meetings on a first-come, first-serve basis, subject to the availability of space, and may also participate in all Standards Committee and Subcommittee teleconferences.

Public Review and Comment – Once the Standards Committee reaches agreement on a draft Sustainable Agriculture Standard, it will be posted for public comment. The public review and comment period provides all stakeholders with an additional opportunity to participate in the standard development process. At the end of the public comment period, the Standards Committee will address all of the comments received prior to submitting the final standard to ANSI for approval as an American National Standard.

To sign up for the subcommittees, apply for observer status, learn more about participating in the public review and comment process or to join the Sustainable Agriculture Standard email list, contact Jennifer Trucks at Leonardo Academy:   jennifer@leonardoacademy.org , (608) 280-0255.

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