Nadine Block, Senior Director of Government Outreach

Today the White House hosted the annual Easter Egg Roll and, for the third consecutive year, selected packaging from SFI chain of custody certified paperboard for the 2011 souvenir egg.  The White House unveiled the official souvenir design and logo in late March.  The egg itself has been manufactured from FSC-certified wood. The National Park Foundation sells the souvenir egg to benefit the White House Easter Egg Roll.

With nearly three quarters of all certified forests in North America meeting or recognized by our standard, we at SFI are pleased the White House is supporting responsibly managed forests with the Easter Egg Roll.  SFI’s comprehensive standard backs a strong commitment to responsible forest management and continuous improvement on SFI-certified lands across North America.  I also think it speaks volumes that the White House and National Park Foundation are recognizing two valid certification programs — the FSC and SFI.  They are not the first organizations to acknowledge the value of both standards. They join a long list of organizations, companies and associations around the world — including the United Nations, the Society of American Foresters and the National Association of State Foresters — who also appreciate the value of multiple forest certification programs.

We are thrilled, yet again, to play a role in this wonderful American tradition, and we hope the White House and other government entities increasingly use certified products, as it sends a signal when government leaders promote responsible forestry by sourcing certified products.

Nadine Block, Senior Director of Government Outreach, discusses SFI’s role in GOVgreen, a conference held in Washington, DC November 9-10.

Earlier this week I was at the first annual GOVgreen conference and had the privilege of speaking with professionals working in various parts of the government, many who have jobs relating to implementing President Obama’s Executive Order on Federal Leadership in Environmental Energy and Economic Performance. These professionals are looking for solutions that not only comply with the order and help them achieve their sustainability goals, but are a good fit for their department’s specific purchasing, building, and policy needs.

Efficient procurement decisions are as simple as purchasing SFI-labeled cups like the ones used by conference participants, including by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. during his keynote address at GOVgreen. This provides an excellent example of consumer products that are sourced responsibly and demonstrates how simple purchasing decisions can make a difference. Our presence at the conference included sponsoring water stations, where SFI-labeled ecotainers were used, and staffing an exhibit where we interacted with dozens of conference participants. Additionally, I participated in a panel discussion about “Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Programs,” along with Christine Chase, Certification Manager at Green Seal and Graziella Siciliano, Senior Program Associate at the Alliance to Save Energy. These forums gave me an opportunity to show how forest certification works with recycling for well-rounded procurement policies. I was also able to demonstrate how SFI certification supports North American jobs and communities and how using forest products from responsibly managed forests helps keeps forests as forests. When organizations demand responsible wood and paper products, they are giving our domestic forest landowners markets for their products and incentives to continue to responsibly manage their forests. Forest certification like SFI is a necessary proof point of responsible behavior.

Thanks to all who were able to stop by the SFI booth or my presentations during the show, and we look forward to working with government organizations in finding preferred options and practices around using forest certified products.

Earlier this week the White House unveiled its official design and logo for this year’s Easter Egg Roll souvenirs. For the second consecutive year, the egg packaging has been made from SFI-certified paperboard. The egg itself has been manufactured from FSC-certified wood.

As the largest certifier of U.S. forests, we at SFI are pleased the White House is recognizing the importance of promoting sustainability with the Easter Egg Roll and supporting the responsibly managed forests of North America. I also think it speaks volumes that the White House is recognizing two valid certification programs—the SFI and FSC. The White House is not the first organization to acknowledge the value of both standards. It joins a long list of companies and associations around the world who do so as well.

We are happy to play a small part in this wonderful American tradition, and look forward to the day when all wood and paper products at the White House come from certified forests.