SFI Conference Celebrates the Bigger Picture with Highest Attendance Ever
The SFI 2011 Annual Conference in Burlington, VT lived up to its name: The Bigger Picture – Conservation. Integrity. Community. The 226 delegates made it the largest SFI conference ever, and sessions explored the integrity of the program and its contributions to conservation and communities.
There were many highlights, including a keynote address by Larry Selzer, President and CEO of The Conservation Fund, who called for responsible environmentalism and an urgent need to start seeing the social, environmental and economic value of working forests. A long-time supporter of the SFI program and a member of the board of directors, Selzer issued some tough challenges to environmental activists, corporate leaders and elected officials.
"If well-managed forests are the goal, we should all be celebrating the remarkable victory of having millions of acres of forests across North America certified," he said. "We should not be wasting precious resources while millions of acres of forests disappear."
Delegates came from across North America, representing companies and communities of all sizes, Aboriginal communities, government agencies and conservation groups. They included academics, students, auditors, biologists, printers, landowners and forest professionals. Speakers included Kathryn Fernholz, Executive Director, Dovetail Partners Inc.; Scott McDougall, President and CEO of TerraChoice; Mary White, Director, Sustainable Package Sourcing, PepsiCo Inc.; Adam Grant, Senior Associate, World Resources Institute, and Michael Luzier, President and CEO, NAHB Research Center.
"I was constantly reminded that it's the passion, the enthusiasm, the knowledge and the diversity of our many participants and supporters that make the SFI program so strong," says SFI President and CEO Kathy Abusow. "That's why we are able to achieve so much in forests and communities across North America."
The 2012 conference will be held Sept. 11 to 13 in Milwaukee, WI. Copies of presentations from this year's event are posted on the SFI conference website along with videos and photos.
