MONTEREY, CA - Mark your calendars for “Sustainability In Action,” a meeting taking place on Thursday, September 26, in Salinas, California, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the CSUMB City Center. It’s an invaluable experience for agricultural producers and processors that would like to get started in building out their sustainability programs or streamline those that already exist.

Not only will this meeting offer practical suggestions and connections to help move your operations' sustainability program forward, it will offer attendees a chance to gain insight into how retailers and buyers are approaching sustainability and how to leverage those information requests into valuable internal management tools for growers and handlers.

We heard from multiple industry leaders about why this event—and sustainability—is so important:

Nikki Rodoni, Founder, Measure to Improve

“Choosing sustainability is a smart business decision, and if you ask today's consumer, it is a necessary one. From the way they shop to their shifting values, consumers are shifting their choices when eating fresher produce and putting more pressure on buyers for that produce to be grown, packed, and shipped in more sustainable ways. Retailers and buyers are responding with more and more requests for information on how their suppliers are managing sustainability. Many growers and handlers are building internal sustainability programs that support improved management and tell the story of how they are working to continually improve, but there is a lack of consistency in measuring and reporting these results to buyers, regulators, and consumers. We welcome all those interested and those looking to further streamline their already innovative programs in place.”

Alison Edwards, Director & Facilitator, Stewardship Index for Specialty Crops

“SISC is excited to collaborate with our members to support members of the fresh produce industry with practical tools to build out their sustainability programs. This meeting will offer practical solutions to support growers, packer/shippers, and handlers to track and implement sustainability actions in their own operations. If you’re interested in starting a sustainability program, or you’re looking to build out your existing program, this event offers great value.”

Kelli McCune, Project Director, Sustainable Conservation

“Agriculture in California is facing some big challenges, like a changing and more unpredictable climate, and stressed and impaired water supplies. As one of the meeting organizers, we’re excited about continuing to build collective action in the important Central Coast region where many of our nation’s fruit and vegetables come from. Achieving a sustainable-food future is possible if we all—farmers, consumers, food companies, NGOs, and others—unite around common-ground solutions for stewarding the land, air, and water we all depend on, and doing so in ways that are just and make economic sense.”

Hank Giclas, Sr. Vice President, Strategic Planning, Science & Technology, Western Growers

“As our population increases it brings increasing pressure on our limited resources and a higher demand for safe high-quality food. It’s now more important than ever that we take proactive steps to refine our abilities as an industry to measure and communicate performance. Western Growers is proud to lead this landmark event to share cutting-edge sustainability tools and ideas that will assist farmers to showcase how they continue feeding the nation and world, all the while protecting our Earth.”

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Measure to Improve