Washington DC (April 4, 2019)
The Soil Carbon Initiative (SCI), a collaboration of over 150 farmer, brand and soil science stakeholders, including The Carbon Underground and Green America, Ben & Jerry’s (Unilever), Danone North America, and MegaFood, seeks public comment on a new outcomes-based agricultural standard for food and fiber. SCI’s standard, developed with NSF International, seeks to encourage everyone who touches the soil to improve soil health and increase carbon drawdown. The public comment period for the draft standard closes May 6, 2019 at 5 PM EST. The standard draft and submission form for public comment are available at soilclimateinitiative.org.
The negative impact on soil from conventional agriculture not only diminishes its ability to grow food, but leads to severe loss of top soil itself — estimated to cost the US alone more than a trillion dollars a year. It’s also been identified as a major cause of climate change. Soil and climate experts tell us, however, that restoring soil health— and its natural ability to draw back down atmospheric carbon— might be the best chance we have at reversing climate change.
The Soil Carbon Initiative’s new outcome-based verified standard will give both food producers and manufacturers the ability to measure and motivate soil health improvements to help farmers and supply chains transition to more regenerative agriculture, which can restore and maintain both soil and climate health. The SCI standard is designed to be easy and inclusive. Producers in any system – conventional, organic, Non-GMO, biodynamic – are eligible for SCI Verification. Based on demonstrated soil health and carbon sequestration results, the SCI standard rewards commitment to improve, ongoing improvement, and achievement in soil health and carbon sequestration.
For more information, please visit www.soilclimateinitiative.org. To sign up for updates, contact Randi Fiat at rfiat@thecarbonunderground.org or Sarah Andrysiak at sandrysiak@greenamerica.org.
About The Carbon Underground
The Carbon Underground was created to accelerate the restoration of soil and the transformation of agriculture to regenerative practices that will mitigate climate change, support farmers, and improve supply chains, food quality and food security around the world. By working with businesses, scientists, governments and food producers The Carbon Underground creates and manages programs to reverse the threats of climate change, stop topsoil loss, and reduce supply chain stress. www.thecarbonunderground.org
About Green America
Green America is the nation’s leading green economy organization. Founded in 1982, Green America provides the economic strategies, organizing power, and practical tools for consumers, businesses and investors to solve today’s social and environmental problems. Green America’s Center for Sustainable Solutions brings together diverse groups of stakeholders to solve the complex sustainability problems that no individual business, organization, or leader can solve alone www.greenamerica.org www.centerforsustainabilitysolutions.org
