Happy Arbor Day from all of us at SFI!

As we celebrate this special day for trees, we are thrilled to announce the winners of the 2013 SFI Photo Contest. We received so many terrific photos that it was truly hard to choose the best. Check out the winning entries  and the names of the six talented photographers who produced them.

Thank you to everyone who entered!

As we celebrate Earth Day and Arbor Day this week, we wanted to share this short video of highlights from our SFI Partners in Forest Conservation reception earlier this month, graciously hosted by the National Geographic Society. The event celebrated SFI’s Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program and spotlighted the work of SFI’s Forest Partners Program, which engages market leaders in supporting the growth of SFI forest certification and the certified sourcing of forest products.

SFI’s staff and Board of Directors enjoyed spending time and sharing ideas with leaders from the environmental and government sectors, including the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. State Department, U.S. International Trade Commission, American Forest Foundation, National Association of Conservation Districts, National Association of State Foresters, Society of American Foresters, World Resources Institute, the World Wildlife Fund, and many others.

We invite you to watch the highlights of the program, which was kicked off by Hans Wegner, Chief Sustainability Officer for the National Geographic Society, who shared how National Geographic Society’s partnership with SFI has helped NGS make enormous strides toward meeting their own sustainability goals. Incoming SFI Board Chairman Larry Selzer, President and CEO of The Conservation Fund, shared his vision for our forests as a vital green infrastructure and how SFI is a leader in making it a reality. Maryland State Forester Steve Koehn and George Fenwick, President and CEO of the American Bird Conservancy, explained how SFI Conservation Grants have helped advance best practices for water quality and bird habitat, respectively. And I covered the importance of forest research to advance conservation priorities in working forests, and how SFI contributes to that research.

This week starts with Earth Day and ends with Arbor Day. Throughout most of North America, springtime is in full swing, with trees blooming and sprouting new leaves everywhere we look. What better time to celebrate our forests, and to remind ourselves that their future depends on the actions we take today?

One of the simplest actions that you can take is to Buy SFI: today and every day, you will purchase products that depend on forests—from tissue to notebooks to cardboard boxes. By choosing products with the SFI label, you can support sustainable forestry and responsible forest management practices that will ensure that healthy, thriving forests will be around for generations to come. All of us at SFI are committed to that goal, and we appreciate your support as we work toward it.

And as a fun way to mark Earth Day and help spread the word about the SFI program, please share this special E-Card with your friends and family.

Happy Earth Day from everyone at SFI!

As we look forward to Earth Day on Monday, we’re happy to share our special SFI Earth Day e-card. Be sure to share it with others and help spread the word that buying SFI means supporting healthy, well-managed forests. (And of course, don’t forget to also ask retailers to carry more SFI-labeled paper, wood and packaging products, too.)

With Earth Day just days away, I am pleased to launch the Buy SFI section of the SFI website (www.sfiprogram.org/buysfi). This part of the site is designed as a resource for consumers to learn more about SFI, our balanced and inclusive governance (Who We Are), our values (including the 14 core principles of the SFI Standard) (What We Do), and the meaning behind the SFI on-product labels that they can find on a wide variety of paper, wood and packaging products (The SFI Label).

We’ve also included new infographics that highlight key facts and figures about SFI’s leadership in responsible forest management:

INFOGRAPHIC: Sustainable forestry is growing

INFOGRAPHIC: Responsible Forestry by the numbers

INFOGRAPHIC: SFI Labels by the numbers

We’re excited to be able to provide this type of information to consumers not only to increase awareness of SFI but also to encourage them to look for the SFI label on the products they buy as a symbol of responsible forestry. In fact, this section of the SFI web site complements an SFI advertisement featured in the USA Today’s 2013 Guide to Green Living (Spring/Summer edition), which hit newsstands earlier this week. The ad features the SFI logo next to the widely recognized recycling symbol, telling readers there are two ways to do their part to help ensure we have health forests for generations to come – recycle their paper products, and look and ask for the SFI® label on the wood, paper and packaging products they buy. They’re directed to this new section of the SFI web site for more information.

We are excited to be able to build greater awareness of the SFI program, and especially the on product label among consumers. Take a look and let us know what you think. Feel free to share your feedback by commenting on the post or emailing info@sfiprogram.org.