Articles by Grist staff

Kathy Abusow of Sustainable Forestry Initiative responds to Grist’s green-buying tips

Here is a letter to the editor from Kathy Abusow of Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Inc., written in response to our article featuring tips for buying green products and avoiding greenwashed ones.

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Dear Editor:

I am writing in response to an article that your website ran titled "Is It Really Green?" It was disappointing to read your statement about the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Standard® (SFI®). The fact is, SFI is an independent nonprofit organization and internationally endorsed forest certification program that is positively influencing the markets for certified forest products while improving forest practices across North America and promoting responsible procurement globally through the SFI Standard.

As your article suggests, it can be difficult to differentiate between "green claims" in the marketplace. However, third-party audited forest certification programs like the SFI Standard make it easy for consumers, by providing a comprehensive labeling system that provides the assurance that the forest products they purchase come from well-managed forests and are legal.

The SFI program has the support of numerous conservation groups including NatureServe, The Conservation Fund, and Conservation International. In addition, SFI works with conservation groups to provide real, tangible benefits on 143 million acres across North America. We also work with nongovernmental organizations, such as Forest Trends and the World Bank, to seek solutions to the important issue of illegal logging. At the community level, we engage in many ways. A recent example is in Minnesota where SFI volunteers are giving their time to build a Habitat for Humanity home that will provide housing with wood from responsibly managed forests.

At a time when only 10 percent of the world's forests are certified, we should not be playing favorites among the more than 50 forest certification standards worldwide. Improving forest management will require much more than that -- Grist can be part of that solution by providing your audiences with the facts and a balanced story.

Sincerely,
Kathy Abusow
President & CEO
Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Inc.

Safeway agrees to animal-welfare standards for some products

One of the largest grocery store chains in the United States, Safeway, has agreed to increase animal-welfare standards for some of the animal-derived products sold at its stores. Chickens and pigs were the focus of the most recent efforts pressuring the chain to adopt humane standards. Safeway has pledged to purchase more pork from suppliers […]

London mayor triples fee for most-polluting cars entering city center

London Mayor Ken Livingstone tripled the fee drivers of the most-polluting vehicles will have to pay to enter the city center beginning in October, from about $16 to $49. The so-called congestion charge was introduced in 2003 in an effort to decrease traffic and greenhouse-gas emissions, encouraging Londoners and visitors to use public transportation instead […]

Obama says will move immediately on international climate pact

Prior to his weekend wins in Louisiana, Nebraska, Washington, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Barack Obama promised to begin developing the U.S. position on an international pact to halt global warming now, instead of waiting until 2009. “I’ve been in conversations with former Vice President [Al] Gore repeatedly, and his recommendation, which I think is […]