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Largest State Forest System in U.S. To Seek FSC Certification

Michigans 4 Million Acres to be Assessed for Responsible Forest Management The Forest Stewardship Council – US today applauded Governor Jennifer Granholms announcement that nearly four million acres of Michigan state forestland will be assessed by independent auditors to assure they are managed to the FSCs standards of responsible forest management. Governor Granholms announcement launches what will be the largest single FSC forest certification project on public or private land in the United States. Under FSC guidelines, the state will have to demonstrate that its forest management meets or exceeds the highest standards for protecting water quality, maintaining wildlife habitat, preserving natural areas, and assuring proper forest regeneration. Forest certification will not only benefit biodiversity, it will also help the bottom line of Michigan businesses that depend on state forests for timber supply said Kevin Korpi, Executive Director of the Michigan Forest Products Council, a timber industry trade association. According to Korpi, major purchasers of forest products like AOL TimeWarner, HomeDepot, Lowes and Kinkos have begun requiring that suppliers demonstrate their product comes from well-managed forests. Certification means Michigan jobs, its that simple, said Korpi. Helen Taylor, the state director of the Conservancys Michigan Chapter and a member of the […]

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Electronics Industry Reaches Agreement on National Electronics Recycling Program

Source: Electronic Industries Alliance Representatives from the U.S. electronics industry have endorsed a resolution with state governments and environmental groups to develop sustainable, fair and flexible recycling efforts nationwide, the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) announced today. As part of that resolution, manufacturers will work together to develop a framework for financing the nationwide recycling program that an EPA-initiated stakeholders group known as the National Electronics Product Stewardship Initiative (NEPSI) will then recommend to Congress. The difficult task ahead for industry is to reach consensus on the divergent views among companies. Specifically, industry will create a proposal for legislation that will finance recycling programs through a fee at point of sale or allow companies to create alternative plans to manage costs without a fee on their products. Manufacturers will also be given flexibility in fulfilling their recycling responsibilities either collectively or individually, through the development of "Alternative Stewardship Plans." The Alternative Stewardship Plans will demonstrate how manufacturers intend to meet or surpass collection and recycling goals set by EPA or another neutral party. "With this agreement, our members are working together and moving the industry forward by presenting a unified solution to help consumers and government agencies recycle more electronic equipment," […]

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Whole Foods Market (WFMI) Reports Record Q1 Earnings

Whole Foods market (WFMI), the largest US-based retailer of natural and organic foods, said this is the first time in its history to record over US$1 billion in sales in a quarter and due to the strong growth has raised its earnings forecast for the year. FY04 Q1 revenues increased 21% to US$1.1 billion from US$0.9 billion in the same quarter last year due to an 8% increase in square footage growth and a 14.7% increase in same store sales growth. Its earnings for the period grew 51% to a record US$38.7 million from US$25.6 million, or to US$0.60 per share from US$0.42 per share. In Southern California, members of the United Food and Commercial Workers union were on strike during the last fourteen weeks of the sixteen-week quarter. Nineteen of the Company's stores experienced an increase in sales due to the strike, 17 of which are in the comparable store base. Excluding the stores positively impacted by the strike, comparable store sales increased 12.8% for the quarter. The Company attributes the above-average increase in net income and earnings per share to the stronger-than-expected sales across the country, a positive contribution from the Harry's stores and facilities compared to a […]

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Congolese Rainforest Zoning for Logging Protested

Author: Environment News Service Provider: SustainableBusiness.com LONDON, UK, February 12, 2004 (ENS) – More than 100 environment, development, and human rights groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) today called on the World Bank to stop plans for economic development of the country that would carve up the world's second largest remaining rainforest into industrial logging concessions. Internal World Bank documents obtained by the Rainforest Foundation and shared with the DRC groups reveal that the bank intends to "create a favorable climate for industrial logging" in the Congo, and envisions a 60 fold increase in the countrys timber production. In a statement today the groups said plans for the development of DRCs forests would have major repercussions for the rights and livelihoods of millions of Congolese citizens, with serious and irreversible impacts on the forest environment. Covering around 1.3 million square kilometers, the rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo are the largest in the world after Amazonia, and have so far largely been spared extensive destruction. An estimated 35 million people live in and around these forests, including Bantu farmers, and Twa and Mbuti hunter-gatherer Pygmies. From 1998 the deadliest war in Africa's history has torn the country […]

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