W e l c o m e
Happy New Year! - we hope your 2012 is off to a great start! Despite the cold weather (or perhaps because of it?), the Dovetail team has put together another chock-full newsletter this month. From a commentary addressing Nutrition & Land Use to new reports on Carbon and Chain-of Custody, I'm hopeful you'll find something of interest!
We are looking forward to a busy and productive year as we explore developments and trends in responsible materials, certification and land use. If you'd like to join the conversation or provide feedback and get in touch, just drop me a line (katie@dovetailinc.org) or share your ideas on our LinkedIn group.
Enjoy!
- Katie
Kathryn Fernholz
Executive Director
Dovetail Commentary
Jeff Howe
Currently there is a major disconnect between our land use policy, particularly that of agricultural land, and good nutrition. This is increasingly evident as our nation’s nutritional health declines in the face of the largest food supply on earth. It is clear that our current policies are not leading to a healthy population. The United States population ranks amongst the highest of any country in incidences of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer, and hyperthyroidism. A new way to look at the way we farm and eat is to consider nutrition rather than calories. This has the potential to significantly impact land use, especially the current separation of agricultural and urban land.
Dovetail Report
Jim Bowyer
Even though Congress is unlikely to adopt “cap and trade” or other approaches to reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases for the foreseeable future, the Environmental Protection Agency is seeking to curtail emissions through new regulation, and the result could be substantial for communities, the environment and the economy. So what is the fuss all about? What exactly is the carbon cycle? What is meant by such terms as “carbon dioxide equivalence”, “carbon neutrality”, “fossil carbon,” and “substitution effect”? And, to what are people referring when using the term “carbon debt”? This report starts from square one of the carbon cycle to explain this and other aspects of the carbon debate and what it all means.
Dovetail Report
Kathryn Fernholz
Chain-of-custody (CoC) certification is the process by which the source of a forest product is verified. Timber or other raw material from certified forestland is tracked and identified in documentation from the forest through all the steps of the production process until it reaches the end user. Recent data estimates nearly 30,000 CoC certificates have now been issued worldwide.
The major certification programs in the United States, including the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) offer group certification for small businesses. Group chain-of-custody certification allows eligible businesses to share the responsibilities of a single certificate when manufacturing and marketing certified forest products. The group structure allows for pooling of resources and distributed costs. Experience has shown that in some situations the cost savings for each member of the group can be 50% to 80% less than when pursuing an individual certificate.
In 2010, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) introduced revised criteria for group chain-of-custody certification that expands opportunities for small businesses in the United States. The recent revisions expand eligibility in the United States to include “any small business with annual forest product sales less than $5,000,000 USD.” In response to this change, additional groups have been formed, pre-existing groups have grown, and opportunities for small businesses to participate in chain-of-custody certification have been expanded. The SFI program does not have minimum or maximum size limits for businesses participating in group chain-of-custody.
This report explains Chain-of-Custody Standards and Group Chain-of-Custody policies of the FSC and SFI. Opportunities for continued expansion of group chain-of-custody are also discussed.
Dovetail 2011 Report Collection
Pre-order your copy of the 2011 Dovetail Reports! The Collection includes all 13 of the new reports from 2011 listed to the right.
Printed in their original full color format and complete with all tables, figures, and citations, this 130+ page bound collection of articles is a perfect reference source, current issues backgrounder, or gift for client or colleague.
Sold individually this collection would cost more than $90.00!
The Dovetail 2011 Report Collection is available for
$39.95 (+S&H)
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Dovetail Partners Launches Speakers Bureau
Access to expert speakers on
diverse environmental topics
Staff and Associates of Dovetail Partners are available to speak on a variety of topics and offer diverse areas of expertise. Book a speaker for your next event today!
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Dovetail Partners, Inc. & Growing Edge Facilitation are collaborating to provide “For Benefit” businesses the support they need to survive and thrive in today’s complex business environment.
A number of informative videos/dvds on environmental topics are available for purchase through Dovetail Partners. Several of the films have received awards of excellence and recognition. All videos are created for middle school through adult audiences.
For additional information you may contact Dovetail Partners at (612) 333-0430 or info@dovetailinc.org
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“The Outlook” is the monthly e-newsletter of Dovetail Partners Inc, a 501c3 nonprofit corporation.
Dovetail Partners is a highly skilled team that provides authoritative information about the impacts and trade-offs of environmental decisions, including consumption choices, land use, and policy alternatives.
More than 18,000 people receive The Outlook each month
If you have any trouble managing your subscription - please contact us at 612-333-0430 or info@dovetailinc.org.
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