As I write this, Dorian, whose winds are the strongest ever recorded so far north in the Atlantic Ocean, is laying waste to the Bahamas. It threatens to wreak havoc along the Eastern States.
The Amazon rainforest continues to burn, threatening the very survival of many species – including ourselves.
July was the hottest month on record for the planet, edging out the previous record-holder in July 2016. The record warmth shrank Arctic and Antarctic sea ice to historic lows.
Next week I travel to Expo East in Baltimore – and yes, I must ride a carbon belching chariot – but my focus will be on ways to reverse this climate emergency through food and agriculture.
If you care about the survival of life as we know it – and – you’ll be attending Natural Products Expo East in Baltimore – it would behoove you to attend and participate in several key events.
There is still time to reverse the madness, and one way we can do it is through organic agriculture.
We must consider how we will feed the mounting population in a sustainable way.
How will we manage increasingly scarce water and soil resources, while improving human health and fighting climate change together?
These are just a few of the topics that will be addressed by The Organic Center in two conferences during the week of Natural Products Expo East in Baltimore.
On September 10th, The Organic Center will team up with the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) to examine the top research needs for moving organic agriculture forward. Participants will take a deep dive into scientific concepts that merge soil health, climate change, weed ecology, and plant breeding to better understand the leverage points where solutions would have the biggest impact on advancing the organic sector.
On September 11th, The Organic Center will hold its annual Organic Confluences Summit. This year they focus on how the organic sector can fight climate change.
They will bring together scientific experts, farmers, policy makers, and organic stakeholders to address the impacts of climate change and how organic agriculture is part of the solution.
The agenda will look at the current and future impacts of climate change on the food system, and how organic techniques can both mitigate and help farmers adapt to climate change.
How does organic fit in with the resilience of agricultural systems as extreme weather events become more frequent?
What scientific advances are needed to advance the organic sector’s ability to adopt and implement climate-friendly practices?
These are some of the many important topics that will be addressed at Confluences this year.
Both the FFAR conference and the Organic Confluences Summit will be held at the Hilton Baltimore. Contact The Organic Center for more information on the two events.
The Climate Collaborative is a group of manufacturers, retailers, distributors, brokers, and suppliers from the natural foods industry working collaboratively to take bold action to reverse climate change.
They are a community of concerned businesses that creates pathways to action. They’re connecting companies to resources and working together to create climate solutions.
Not only are they partnering in The Confluences Summit, but they’re hosting several events of their own.
The session, How To Build True Collaboration On Climate will be held Thursday, September 12th, 10am-12pm, in the Hilton Key Ballroom.
It will focus on helping companies move from having an interest in collaborating on climate change toward building actual collaborative projects.
If you’re interested in Collaborating on the most critical crisis of our time – show up.
A session focusing on Transforming The Packaging Landscape will be on Thursday, September 12th, from 4-5pm, in the Hilton Holiday Ballroom 4. This is being lead by the Sustainable Food Trade Association (SFTA)
At this workshop, companies will have the chance to meet with sustainable packaging experts leading innovative industry packaging initiatives.
If you want to learn more about safer chemicals in packaging, industry plastic reduction goals, and design innovation, this is the place.
I believe we can transform our packaging landscape into a more sustainable future.
We need to GRO ORGANIC if we are to build a sustainable food system that will endure for generations. Not only is organic good for business – it’s good for the planet.
This is why organic stakeholders are committing their dollars, their vision, and their determination to a major collective effort to advance organic. It’s called GRO ORGANIC, and they intend to push organic production and consumption further through research, promotion, and education.
Join the Organic Trade Association and Organic Voices for updates on how to get involved in these powerful GRO ORGANIC projects. All sessions will be held in the Hilton Key Ballroom 7/8.
Thursday, September 12th, from 8:45 -10 am, you can uncover The State of Natural & Organic: Leading Perspectives on a Growing Industry.
The panel will dive into the thinking of organic consumers and the need for in-field training for agronomists and technical advisors. They will address a national organic promotion campaign and look at research projects on how organic can help mitigate climate change.
Don’t miss the GRO ORGANIC Consumer Research & Organic VoicesPresentationon Friday, September 13th, from 11:00am-12:30pm. It will highlight a major research project uncovering what drives a consumer to choose organic and what messages penetrate deeper than others.
Come for an insider’s look at the topline research results and learn more about the messaging toolkit underway.
Finally attend the GRO Organic Technical Assistance Workshop from 1:00pm-2:30pm.
To help meet the growing demand for organic, the Organic Agronomy Training Service (OATS) train-the-trainer program offers critical support to farmers transitioning to organic.
Learn more about the agronomists and farmers who are rallying to support growers with access to technical assistance during the transition to organic.
If you won’t be attending Expo East but are still interested in how organic agriculture plays a role in mitigating our climate emergency, sign up for updates from The Organic Center and The Climate Collaborative.
Get involved! Action must be taken now if we are to reverse our collision course with a changing climate. Organic is a solution.
Thank you Melody for covering all these climate events at Expo East and for keeping reversing climate change top-of-mind. The Transforming the Packaging Landscape is an event organized and lead by the Sustainable Food Trade Association (SFTA), not the Climate Collaborative which is a project of SFTA and OSC2. Stay tuned for more packaging initiatives, separately and collaboratively from SFTA, OSC2 and the Climate Collaborative, to help the industry move to more responsible and climate-friendly packaging.
Thanks Katherine – I will make the change now. Look forward to seeing you there!
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