Forestry group blasted for 'green-washing'

[Omaha Steve]

http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695213523,00.html

An organization that certifies companies for environmentally friendly logging operations is holding its annual convention in Utah and has brought with it some controversies surrounding corporate "green-washing" and labor disputes.

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative, which is meeting at Snowbird until the end of this week, is establishing standards to encourage timber companies to manage the resources in a way that goes "beyond regulatory requirement," SFI President Kathey Abusow said. The certifications, which are awarded to the forest lands owned by the companies, allow companies to market their products as "green" materials.

The SFI certification has drawn criticism from some environmental groups, especially the Sierra Club, which characterized the certification as industry "green-washing."

Abusow disagreed, pointing out that the organization is independent and nonprofit, that groups such as the Pacific Forest Trust and the Nature Conservancy have served on the SFI board of directors and that the certification process is rigorous.

But according to the Sierra Club, the only acceptable standard is granted by the Forest Stewardship Council. That organization, which the Sierra Club spearheaded, sets its standards to insure responsible forest management by considering everything from ecosystem protection to rights of workers and indigenous peoples.

FULL story at link.

[NNadir]

1. They need to hire Amory Lovins.

He'll sign on to anything for just a few hundred thousand bucks.