Growing Interest in Sustainable Agriculture Standard- Deadline for Standards Committee Applications Extended to May 23, 2008

Since September 2007, Leonardo Academy has been announcement acquaintance of the development action of the Draft American National Standard for Trail Use for Sustainable Agriculture Practice, advised for consecutive approval as an American National Standard. National affairs accept been captivated in Berkeley, California and Arlington, Virginia, in accession to three civic teleconferences, to acquaint absorbed parties and stakeholders about this accepted development process. Due to accretion absorption in the development of this accepted afterward the February 29, 2008 affair in Arlington, Leonardo Academy has absitively to extend the borderline for applications for the accepted development board to May 23, 2008. This addendum has been implemented based on abundant requests to acquiesce time for added stakeholders to abide applications to participate on the accepted development board and/or acknowledging subcommittees.

Madison, WI -- Since September 2007, Leonardo Academy has been announcement acquaintance of the development action of the Draft American National Standard for Trail Use for Sustainable Agriculture Practice, advised for consecutive approval as an American National Standard. National affairs accept been captivated in Berkeley, California and Arlington, Virginia, in accession to three civic teleconferences, to acquaint absorbed parties and stakeholders about this accepted development process. Due to accretion absorption in the development of this accepted afterward the February 29, 2008 affair in Arlington, Leonardo Academy has absitively to extend the borderline for applications for the accepted development board to May 23, 2008. This addendum has been implemented based on abundant requests to acquiesce time for added stakeholders to abide applications to participate on the accepted development board and/or acknowledging subcommittees.

Purpose of Developing a Standard for Sustainable Agriculture Practice
The Sustainable Agriculture Practice Standard is accepting developed in acknowledgment to ascent absorption in practicing, defining, standardizing, and certifying acceptable agriculture. Establishing a civic accepted for acceptable agronomics practices has the befalling to serve abounding purposes, including:
 

tDefining sustainability practices and indicators throughout the accumulation alternation on a life-cycle base tDistinguishing best practices in crop assembly and administration tGuiding producers and handlers through stages of incremental advance tProviding a accepted set of metrics to barometer sustainability progress---whether in a clandestine accumulation chain, an industry sector, or on a state/regional/national calibration tSetting a advertence archetype for clandestine sustainability effortsAll absorbed stakeholders accept a role to play in abstraction the final standard, alive aural the accessible accord process. Within this setting, the accepted can be developed and added for the accessible good.

The Draft American Standard for Trial Use: Sustainable Agriculture Practice for Food Fiber and Biofuel Crop Producers and Agricultural Product Handlers and Processors (SCS-001):
This abstract accepted for balloon use was appear in the bounce of 2007. Within the ANSI process, a abstract accepted for balloon use represents a beginning, not an end. It serves as a starting point from which stakeholder discussions can appear and is advised to activate chat on key issues, such as the assorted interpretations of sustainability as it applies to agriculture, which have to be addressed in adjustment to authorize a accomplished American National Standard for Sustainable Agriculture Practice.

The Standards Committee can change any basic of the abstract accepted in the action to authorize a final abstract standard, which will be accountable to accessible analysis and animadversion by added materially afflicted parties. The Standards Committee will adjudge how to ascertain acceptable agronomics practices aural the ambit of this standard, as able-bodied as

how to abode both the accepted and sector-specific needs of assorted agronomical crop sectors. Ultimately, the Standards Committee will adjudge what is in the final accepted that will be submitted for approval as an American National Standard. For this reason, all absorbed parties and stakeholders are arrive to participate in the development action of this accepted by confined on the Standards Committee or a non-voting advising subcommittee.

Call for Standards Committee Applications
All parties and stakeholders absorbed in the accepted development action are arrive to administer to participate on the Standards Committee or one of the advising subcommittees. Applications will be advised in abounding in adjustment to accomplish a counterbalanced burning of abilities and ability on the Standards Committee. The board appliance anatomy can be begin on the Leonardo Academy website at http://www.leonardoacademy.org/Projects/SustainAgStdDevelopment.htm.

Applications for accord should be submitted by or afore Friday, May 23, 2008. All applicants will be abreast of their board cachet on Monday, June 16, 2008.

More about the Draft Standard
Interest in standardizing acceptable agronomics has developed badly about the apple in the accomplished decade. This accretion absorption has been fueled by a ambit of analytical ecology and amusing concerns, such as all-around warming, baptize shortages, breed extinction, alarming alive conditions, arbitrary activity practices, and apathy for bounded communities. In response, dozens of sustainability initiatives and programs accept emerged. This civic acclimation action has been launched to accommodate a appointment for discussing and vetting differences over what sustainability agency aural the agronomical area and to abduction the aggregate acumen of individuals and organizations that accept been arch the way in defining and establishing acceptable practices. More advice about the acclimation initiative, including abstracts and presentations from the stakeholder affair captivated October 29-30, 2007 and February 29, 2008, as able-bodied as a archetype of the abstract accepted for balloon use, can be downloaded from the Leonardo website at http://www.leonardoacademy.org/Projects/SustainAgStdDevelopment.htm.

Funding
Leonardo Academy is gluttonous banking abetment from foundations, companies and organizations with an absorption in sustainability issues to aid in the development of this standard, to accommodate baby farmers with banking and abstruse abetment in testing the Sustainable Agriculture Draft Standard for Trial Use and to accommodate banking abetment to non-profits to awning the costs of their participation. If you are absorbed in altruistic banking assets to abutment this project, amuse acquaintance the Leonardo Academy.

About The Leonardo Academy
Leonardo Academy is a 501(c)(3) non-profit alignment founded in 1997 with a eyes of advancing sustainability and putting the aggressive bazaar to plan on convalescent the environment.

For Additional Information
Please appointment the Sustainable Agriculture Practice Draft Standard for Trial Use web page: http://www.leonardoacademy.org/Projects/SustainAgStdDevelopment.htm.

Contact Leonardo Academy:
Tel: (608) 280-0255
Email: Development-SCS-1 @ leonardoacademy.org

National Sustainable Agriculture Standard - Two Weeks Remaining to Submit Applications for Standards Committee - Deadline: May 23, 2008

Two weeks abide to abide applications to participate on the Standards Committee that will plan against development of an American National Standard for acceptable agriculture. Stakeholders absorbed in alive on specific advising subcommittees are aswell encouraged to administer during this period.

Madison, WI -- Two weeks abide to abide applications to participate on the Standards Committee that will plan against development of an American National Standard for acceptable agriculture. Stakeholders absorbed in alive on specific advising subcommittees are aswell encouraged to administer during this period.

Interest in this accepted continues to abound a allotment of the accessible and materially afflicted parties. Since the February 29, 2008 stakeholder affair in Arlington, Leonardo Academy has accustomed a billow of applications to participate on the Standards Committee and advising subcommittees. All absorbed and afflicted stakeholders---such as growers, processors, aliment processors, aliment account companies, retailers, government representatives, chump groups, ecology NGOs, activity groups and representatives, and added absorbed parties---have a role to play in abstraction the final accepted and are encouraged to apply.

Developing a Standard for Sustainable Agriculture Practice
The Sustainable Agriculture Practice Standard is accepting developed in acknowledgment to ascent absorption in practicing, defining, standardizing, and certifying acceptable agriculture. Working aural an accessible accord process, this civic acclimation action is advised to accommodate a appointment for discussing and vetting differences over what sustainability agency aural the agronomical area and to abduction the aggregate acumen of beat individuals and organizations in the branch of acceptable agriculture.

Establishing a civic accepted for acceptable agronomics practices has the befalling to serve abounding purposes, including:
 

Defining sustainability practices and indicators throughout the accumulation alternation on a life-cycle base Distinguishing best practices in crop assembly and administration Guiding producers and handlers through stages of incremental advance Providing a accepted set of metrics to barometer sustainability progress---whether in a clandestine accumulation chain, an industry sector, or on a state/regional/national calibration Setting a advertence archetype for clandestine sustainability effortsThe accepted action was launched with the advertisement endure year of a Draft American Standard for Trial Use: Sustainable Agriculture Practice for Food Fiber and Biofuel Crop Producers and Agricultural Product Handlers and Processors (SCS-001). Within the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accepted development process, a abstract accepted for balloon use represents a beginning, not an end. A abstract accepted serves as a starting point from which stakeholder discussions can appear and is advised to activate chat on key issues, such as the assorted interpretations of sustainability as it applies to agriculture, which have to be addressed in adjustment to authorize a accomplished American National Standard for Sustainable Agriculture Practice that is both applied and anatomic for the end-user.

Role of the Standards Committee
The Standards Committee will analysis and advised anniversary basic of the abstract standard. This includes defining acceptable agronomics practices aural the ambit of this accepted and acclamation both the accepted and sector-specific needs of the specific agronomical crop sectors that this accepted will include. The final abstract accepted will be accountable to accessible analysis and animadversion by materially afflicted parties above-mentioned to acquiescence to ANSI. Ultimately, the Standards Committee will adjudge what is in the final accepted that will be submitted for approval as an American National Standard. For this reason, all absorbed parties and stakeholders are arrive to participate in the development action of this accepted by confined on the Standards Committee or a non-voting advising subcommittee.

How to Apply
All parties and materially afflicted stakeholders absorbed in the development action of the Sustainable Agriculture Practice Standard are arrive to administer to participate on the Standards Committee or one of the advising subcommittees. PLEASE NOTE: In the accident that a Standards Committee affiliate is not able to appear a meeting, an alternating from their alignment can be appointed to serve as a proxy for that meeting. The board appliance form, advice on the time charge for board associates and frequency/location of board meetings, as able-bodied as added advice about this initiative, can be begin at: http://www.leonardoacademy.org/Projects/SustainAgStdDevelopment.htm.

Applications for accord should be submitted no after than Friday, May 23, 2008. Applications will be advised in abounding in adjustment to accomplish a counterbalanced burning of abilities and ability on the Standards Committee. All applicants will be abreast of their board cachet no after than Monday, June 16, 2008.

Funding
Leonardo Academy is gluttonous banking abetment from foundations, companies and organizations with an absorption in sustainability issues to aid in the development of this standard, to accommodate baby farmers with banking and abstruse abetment in testing the Sustainable Agriculture Draft Standard for Trial Use and to accommodate banking abetment to non-profits to awning the costs of their participation. If you are absorbed in altruistic banking assets to abutment this project, amuse acquaintance the Leonardo Academy.

For Additional Information
Please appointment the Sustainable Agriculture Practice Draft Standard for Trial Use web page: http://www.leonardoacademy.org/Projects/SustainAgStdDevelopment.htm.

Contact Leonardo Academy:
Tel: (608) 280-0255
Email: Development-SCS-1@leonardoacademy.org.


Outreach Efforts to Date
The Sustainable Agriculture Practice Draft Standard for Trial Use was appear by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) in the bounce of 2007. In September 2007, accepted development responsibilities were transferred from the NSF International to Leonardo Academy. Since that time, Leonardo Academy and SCS accept been announcement acquaintance of the Draft Standard for Trial Use, the ANSI process, and the befalling for stakeholder participation. Numerous columnist releases and announcements accept been broadcast nationally to acquaint absorbed parties and stakeholders about this accepted development process. In addition, two stakeholder affairs and three teleconferences accept been captivated to analyze acceptable agronomics issues and to added animate captivation in the development of this standard. Additional beat efforts accept included advice administration at above conferences and barter shows throughout the year, as able-bodied as workshops.