IPM Institute News: IPM in the Marketplace
January 2007
Volume 8 Issue No. 1
Contents
I. Opportunities
Abound to Learn About Natural Approaches to Landscape Care
II.
Twenty-six
Million Acres Certified for Sustainable Practices in 2006
III.
Open Conference Call Series to
Begin on IPM for Public Agencies with Presentation on "Buying
IPM"
IV.
2007 Urban IPM Conference in San
Francisco
V. IPMnet
News: Free
Subscription IPM Information Resource
VI. Plan
Now on Attending the Sixth International IPM Symposium
VII. Join the IPM Institute Today!
I. Opportunities Abound to
Learn About Natural Approaches to
Landscape Care
"Meeting
the Growing Demand for Natural and Organic Lawn and Landscape
Care"
February 19 and 20, 2007 Madison, WI Presented by the IPM
Institute of North America
This
two-day workshop is designed to educate landscape contractors and
land care professionals from parks departments, school systems,
corporate campuses and other sites about low-impact landscape care
practices including natural and organic methods.
The
workshop includes instruction by Chip Osborne, president of
Osborne Organics based in Massachusetts, who will share his
experience managing turf and athletic fields for school systems
and municipalities. Day two features James Sottilo of TreeWise
Organics and his approach to natural tree and shrub care,
including experience managing very high profile landscapes on Long
Island.
John
Stier of the University of Wisconsin will share results of recent
research and point participants to local resources for organic
amendments and pest controls. At the end of the workshop,
attendees will have the option to take an exam and receive a
certificate of completion of the workshop with a passing score.
The
workshop is sponsored by Bando Lawn and Landscape, City of
Madison, Happy Grass, Healthy Lawn Team, Madison Gas and Electric
Company, www.myfairlakes.com,
Trader Joe's, UW Extension, UW Medical Foundation, Veridian Homes,
and Whole Foods. The workshop has been developed with the
assistance of Doug Wood and Grassroots
Environmental Education.
More.
"Organic
Land Care Basic Training for Municipal Officials and Transitioning
Landscapers"
February 28, March 5, and March 14, 2007 Presented by the National
Coalition for Pesticide-Free Lawns
This
three-part teleconference will convey the basics of an organic
turf program including concepts, methods and materials needed to
get started. The training is geared toward school or park and
recreation officials, however landscapers interested in
transitioning are encouraged to participate. Instruction provided
by Chip Osborne.
More.
"6th
Annual NOFA Course in Organic Land Care" January
31, February 1, 2, 5 and 6, 2007 New Haven, CT Presented by the
Northeast Organic Farmers Association
This
30-hour, five-day course includes site analysis, design and
maintenance; soil heatlh and amendments; pest management; and
specialty topics including invasive plants, rain gardens and
wetlands. Instructors include area practitioners and Extension.
An
optional exam will be given at the conclusion of the course. Those
who pass the exam can become NOFA Accredited Organic Land Care
Professionals.
More.
II. Twenty-six
Million Acres Certified for
Sustainable Practices in 2006
Four
programs operating in the U.S. including Food Alliance, Forest
Stewardship Council, Rainforest Alliance and Protected Harvest
reported certifying a combined 26 million U.S. acres and 216.5
million acres worldwide in 2006. These organizations lend their
"eco-labels" to qualifying products to signify that
participating producers have met standards including on-site
verification of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices.
The
Forest Stewardship Council certified 22 million acres in the U.S.
and 212 million worldwide. Rainforest Alliance's SmartWood
program, headquartered in New York City and accredited by the
Council, accounted for 99 million of those acres across 58
countries.
The
Rainforest Alliance, founded twenty years ago, also certified
562,000 acres of food and ornamental crops outside the U.S.
through their Sustainable Agriculture Network program including
bananas, cocoa, coffee, oranges, ferns, flowers, guava, macadamia
nuts, passion fruit, pineapple and plantains.
On
the U.S. food-product front, Food Alliance certified over 4
million acres of production including beef, lamb, pork, dairy
products, wheat, dry beans and mushrooms, and nearly 200 varieties
of fruits and vegetables. Food Alliance began certifying product
in 1999 and now operates out of offices in Portland, Oregon and
St. Paul, Minnesota.
Protected
Harvest reported certifying nearly 4,000 acres of Wisconsin
Healthy Grown potatoes in 2006. Since the program's inception in
2000, pesticide use has been reduced by 32% on certified fields.
IPM practice adoption has increased by 26% during that interval.
A
three-year-old program, Northeast Eco Apples operated by Red
Tomato, a non-profit marketing agent based in Canton,
Massachusetts, reported a 300% increase in apple sales in 2006 to
24,000 cases valued at $600,000. Six producers representing 450
acres in New York and New England participate in the program.
Each
program uses independent third parties to verify that participants
meet specific criteria, including IPM and other practices. For
example, the Smartwood program requires that producers address
worker safety and training, stakeholder communication and conflict
resolution, protection of sensitive sites including
high-conservation-value forests and riparian areas, and
preservation of threatened and endangered species. Site management
plans, and monitoring and chain of custody best practices are also
required.
In
comparison, organic certification covered 4 million U.S. acres
generating $14.6 billion in consumer sales in 2005. Comparable
sales data are not currently reported by certifying organizations
for non-organic sustainable production.
On the Web
For links to these and other
IPM-based eco-labels, including the Integrated Production program
operated by the International Organization for Biological Control,
visit http://www.ipminstitute.org/links.htm
III.
Open Conference Call
Series to Begin on IPM for Public Agencies with Presentation
on "Buying IPM"
Interested
in learning more about how your state, county or municipality can
reduce pest and pesticide hazards through IPM?
Join
us for an open conference call with Dr. Albert Greene on buying
IPM for structural pest management. All are welcome, including
corporate buyers of pest management services as well as service
providers.
Al
will outline elements of his successful program in government
buildings which resulted in a 90% reduction in pest complaints and
pesticide use over ten years. He is an expert in designing and
implementing IPM bid specifications, service contracts and
contractor oversight. His presentation will be followed by open
discussion.
The
one-hour call is scheduled for Noon Eastern time on February 28.
Call 605 990-0001, enter password 165144 followed by the # sign.
Note: This is not a toll-free number. You will pay whatever
charges you would normally incur for a call to the 605 area code.
This
call will be a prelude to full-day “Buying IPM” workshop to be
scheduled this Spring, featuring Al and successful IPM
buyer-provider partnerships in school systems and other public
agencies. More details to follow.
A
second call in the public agency IPM series will feature the San
Francisco City/County IPM program, presented by Chris Geiger in
March. Date and time to be announced next month.
Please
email us if you plan to
participate. Pre-registration is not required, but your intentions
will be helpful to manage the number of lines needed.
About
Al
Albert Greene developed and coordinates the U. S. General Services
Administration (GSA) IPM program for Federal buildings, with
responsibilities including contract administration, technical
policy and interagency liaison. Since 1988 he has provided urban
IPM guidance to practically every major Federal agency and to
dozens of states, municipalities and school systems. From 1997 to
2001 he served as Chief of GSA’s Building Services Branch in
Washington, D.C., overseeing programs in urban horticulture and
sustainable landscape design, solid waste management and
recycling, and custodial services. He has received the White House
Closing the Circle Award for environmental excellence in
Government and was presented with the honorary Key to Dade County,
Florida for his efforts toward improving public health and
environmental quality in the city of Miami. Dr. Greene holds an
undergraduate degree from Cornell University, a Masters in
environmental science from Washington State University and a Ph.D.
in entomology from the University of Maryland.
IV.
2007 Urban IPM Conference in
San Francisco
The
City of San Francisco’s Department of the Environment is again
hosting an informative conference on urban IPM. The event will be
held February 13, 2007 at the Golden
Gate Club of the Presidio.
This
popular conference is aimed at IPM program managers, public agency
pest management staff and anyone interested in IPM concepts and
applications in an urban setting.
The
line up of engaging presenters include keynote speaker Bob Adams
from Ideo Corp. Adams, a designer with 20 years experience, knows
how sustainability applies to business practices. He will take
attendees on a “Journey Into Sustainability.”
View
agenda or register now at www.acteva.com/go/sfenvironment.
V. IPMnet
News: Free Subscription IPM Information Resource
IPMnet
News
is published every six weeks and covers IPM news from around the
world including new research/technical papers, job opportunities,
events and other resources for IPM professionals.
IPMnet
News
is produced in collaboration with the Integrated Plant Protection
Center at Oregon State University, and is underwritten by the USDA
CSREES and the U.S. Agency for International Development's
IPM-Collaborative Research Support Program.
To
subscribe, send the message "subscribe" to IPMnet@science.oregonstate.edu.
VI. Plan
Now on Attending the Sixth International IPM Symposium
Mark
your calendars today for the Sixth International IPM Symposium, to
be held on March 24-26, 2009 in Portland, OR. The theme for this
symposium is "Transcending Boundaries."
Symposium
sessions will address state of the art strategies and technologies
to successfully solve pest problems in agricultural, recreational,
natural and community settings. More than 650 people from 23
countries attended the previous symposium.
VII. Join the IPM Institute Today!
Like what you’re reading? Join the many others who
contribute to the effort by becoming a member. Members receive IPM in the Marketplace editions and
help support our efforts to reduce hazards from both pests and pesticides, and improve public awareness
and appreciation for Integrated Pest Management. A basic membership is only $35 per year, click
here
for more information.
