Welcome to the Rainforest Alliance’s New Home

Last night, the Rainforest Alliance team welcomed donors, supporters, partners and friends to come visit us in our new headquarters within the historic Woolworth Building. Guests enjoyed hors d’oeuvres, drinks and good company–plus a warm welcome speech from our president Tensie Whelan.

Here, we share her words of welcome.

The Rainforest Alliance’s new headquarters in New York City recently achieved Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC) Project certification, making it the first building in the region to achieve this distinction. 

 

15 Things You Might Not Know About Cinnamon

You know it gives chai tea, cinnamon buns and snickerdoodles a special kick. Now, 15 things you might not know about one of the world’s most popular spices.

A pile of cinnamon bark on one of the world’s first Rainforest Alliance Certified cinnamon farms.

1. Cinnamon is the common name for nearly a dozen species of evergreen trees in the genus cinnamomum. Just a few of these trees are grown commercially for spice.
2. In Indonesian, the cinnamomum burmannii tree is known as kayu manis or sweet wood.
3. The first-ever Rainforest Alliance Certified™ cinnamon farms are situated in Kerinci, Indonesia, and belong to a group of 268 cinnamon farmers.
4. The bark of the cinnamon tree is stripped, dried and ground to make the fine powder most think of as cinnamon.
5. Cinnamon is harvested just once every 10 to 15 years, so most producers see only two or three harvests in their lifetime.
6. The earliest the first harvest can take place is eight years after planting, when young trees yield about 5 kgs (11 lbs) of dry cinnamon.
7. When cinnamon trees are young, their thin bark naturally curls into tight rolls which are sold as “cinnamon sticks” in grocery stores.
8. Production increases and bark thickens over time–improving the concentration of volatile oils and giving cinnamon a richer, more intense flavor.
9. Cinnamon forests grow naturally, without the aid of agrochemicals, and are intercropped with other trees.
10. In Indonesia, locals call cinnamon the “grass of Kerinci” because it begins to grow back almost immediately after it is cut.
11. Most Indonesian cinnamon farmers grow their trees on small, remote parcels of land (known as bidangs) alongside other native species like surian, jati and malaku.
12. Producers in Indonesia consider cinnamon to be a “savings account.” They hire a team to harvest their forests only when additional income is necessary. A farmer might, for example, utilize his cinnamon to finance a family wedding.
13. Since Indonesian cinnamon plots are usually located outside of villages, water buffalo are used to transport the bark to collection points in villages.
14. A typical cinnamon harvest yields about 450 kgs (1,000 lbs) of cinnamon, but production can vary greatly depending on the age of cinnamon trees.
15. In Indonesia, harvesters say they prefer to work on Rainforest Alliance Certified cinnamon plots because they are paid 9 percent more per kg harvested on this land. They are also being good neighbors to wildlife–including the endangered Sumatran tiger–and the environment.

 

What Does It Take to Be a Rainforest Alliance Auditor?

Follow a group of new auditors on a training session in China.

The Rainforest Alliance’s audit team recently joined executives from a local tea company and the Fengquing village council to walk through tea plots just outside of a small community in China’s Yunnan Province.

The team was in Yunnan for a week-long training to introduce new auditors to the ins and outs of Rainforest Alliance certification. Led by long-time trainer and auditor Noah Jackson, the participants included Jean Zhang and Shao Meng of China Quality Mark (CQM), the Rainforest Alliance’s new certification partner in China.

In 2012, the Lincang region of Yunnan became home to the first Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farm in China: Green Fountain Tea Estate. Through trainings like this one, the Rainforest Alliance is working to expand its certification program in China with a host of new locally based auditors.

Before joining the CQM audit team, Zhang worked for years outside of China inspecting factories and ensuring the safety of factory machinery. She brings years of experience in designing management systems to her new position as leader of a team of Rainforest Alliance auditors in China.

Hu Zhengwei, another new addition to the audit team, previously worked as an organic auditor. Here, he stands next to a water tank used for irrigation during the dry season.

Mao Xiaoti (nicknamed Tete) has worked as an auditor for CQM for three years. “The Sustainable Agriculture Network Standard [which Rainforest Alliance Certified farms are audited against] involves the auditor gathering evidence based not just on documentation, but interviews with farmers,” she reflects, after participating in two audits with the Rainforest Alliance certification team. “This is different from the other standards I have learned in China.”

Tang Yi Cong, who prefers to be called Hunter, has a background in organic auditing and currently manages and schedules audits for CQM. “With other forms of auditing, you can get a lot of the work done just by evaluating documentation, like water test reports and factory records,” he says. “With the Rainforest Alliance, you’ve got to use your head. You need field experience.”

The team stopped at the home of a local farmer working toward Rainforest Alliance certification to conduct an interview. It was a learning experience for Zhang, who, like all auditors participating in the training, will eventually conduct these interviews alone as part of the formal on-farm audit process.

Auditors must learn to build trust and rapport with farmers. During the interview process, they will need farmers to open up about crop diversity, pest management, farm goals and challenges. Lead auditor and trainer Noah Jackson often breaks the ice by trading his personal collection of seeds with farmers.

To ensure that certified and noncertified tea remains separate, auditors analyze traceability records from a factory against farmer sale records. This measure ensures that products stamped with the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal actually contain Rainforest Alliance Certified ingredients.

Farm and company representatives must also carefully note any issues found on a farm during an initial diagnostic audit. They will have an opportunity to correct these issues — which can include agrochemical use, drought and labor concerns — before auditors return for a follow-up visit. Farms must meet the SAN’s comprehensive set of social, environmental and economic criteria before they can earn the green frog seal.

Unlike audits conducted by other certification bodies, Rainforest Alliance audits focus on all crops grown on a farm rather than individual crops. This corn is genetically modified and would not be permitted on a Rainforest Alliance Certified farm.

To diversify their output and reduce chemical inputs, many Rainforest Alliance Certified farmers raise cattle. Manure is composted and, in some cases, can completely eliminate the need for chemical fertilizer.

If all agrochemicals cannot be eliminated, farms must at a minimum learn to reduce pesticide use and eliminate any of the “dirty dozen” agrochemicals. Farmers must also ensure that their workers have protective equipment while applying chemicals. Here, a new Rainforest Alliance trainee pulls up the translation of an agrochemical during a farm visit.

Smallholder farmers in China grow more than tea. They often produce a variety of vegetables to supplement their diets and diversify their income.

Erosion is a huge problem in Southern China and often stems from new road construction and issues associated with planting on steep slopes. All Rainforest Alliance Certified farms must have an erosion control program.

New auditors must also analyze how tea farmers work and live within their community, and must understand the labor supply and demand in the regions where they work. In China, for example, there are often labor shortages caused by decades of mass migration from rural to urban areas.

At the end of a long day, new auditors enjoy a walk with tea farmers and managers to learn more about how tea is grown and farms are managed. Auditors need to understand more than the audit process and the SAN standards. They must understand the nuances of tea, farmers and local communities. Pictured here, Jean Zhang (front, purple), Tang Yi Cong (white shirt, right), Xioti Ma (pink jacket, center) and Meng Shao (stripped shirt, rear).

All photos by Rainforest Alliance trainer and auditor Noah Jackson.

3 Perspectives on Rainforest Alliance Certification: Balance Bar, Bissinger’s and Endangered Species

In March, the Rainforest Alliance team headed to Natural Products Expo West—the nation’s largest tradeshow for natural, organic and healthy products—to promote certification and meet with some of the forward-thinking companies sourcing ingredients from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms. We asked representatives from Balance Bar®, Bissinger’s Handcrafted Chocolatier and Endangered Species Chocolate to discuss why they chose Rainforest Alliance certification—and how their commitments are benefitting communities, wildlife and the global environment.

Balance Bar

What they did at Expo West? Balance Bar® announced the launch of three new flavors made with 100 percent cocoa from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms: Dark Chocolate Crunch, Dark Chocolate Coconut and Dark Chocolate Peanut.

Bissinger’s Handcrafted Chocolatier

What they did at Expo West? Bissinger’s Handcrafted Chocolatier announced the launch of three new bars made with 100 percent cocoa from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms: Banana Pecan Caramel Bar, Coconut Caramel with Red Hawaiian Sea Salt Bar and Dulce de Leche with Sea Salt Bar.

Endangered Species Chocolate 

What they did at Expo West? Endangered Species Chocolate announced the launch of two new natural chocolate bars featuring cocoa from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms: Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt and Almonds and Dark Chocolate with Cherries.

Are you a chocolate lover looking to find more great products bearing the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal? Visit Shop the Frog!

Are you a company representative looking to get involved? Visit our website!

From the Experts: Child Labor and the Cocoa Industry

Edward Millard, the Rainforest Alliance’s director of sustainable landscapes, reflects on the causes of child labor in the West African cocoa industry and the tools necessary to combat it.

The Rainforest Alliance believes that independent certification programs, like Rainforest Alliance Certified™, are central to delivering solutions to economic, environmental and social issues that are endemic within the cocoa sector, including child labor.

A Win for US Education and the Global Climate

For most Americans—and virtually all credible climate scientists—the reality of climate change is finally undeniable. However, educational science standards have not kept pace with evolving climate science; in fact, they have not been updated in the United States since 1996.

Two-thirds of students in the US report that they have not learned much about climate change.

Fortunately, that is about to change. After three years of consultation and research, the National Research Council, the National Science Teachers Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and Achieve will unveil the Next Generation Science Standards this week. “For the first time, the proposed education standards identify climate change as a core concept for science curricula and focus on the relationship between that change and human activity,” reports the Los Angeles Times.

In the US, each state has the power to determine their educational priorities and accept or reject recommended standards. Experts anticipate that 40 states will choose to adopt the Next Generation Science Standards—a huge win for the field of education and the environment.

In the past, many states have been reluctant to teach climate literacy. It is now widely recognized that scientific evidence needs to be used to link knowledge, skills and actions to tackle climate change. With its impacts felt locally and internationally, educators are committed to strengthening society’s ability to understand changes in our environment.

The Rainforest Alliance’s Role

Because many educators lack the resources and knowledge to teach climate literacy, the Rainforest Alliance has been working to introduce teachers to our Climate Educator Guide since 2010. Developed in conjunction with Project Learning Tree, the free curriculum is available in English and Spanish and provides easy-to-use lessons for middle school students.

Through these lessons, pupils learn climate science basics and discover how these concepts relate to the importance of reducing carbon emissions from deforestation. “In the community of Carmelita, Guatemala, we saw firsthand how environmental, social and economic concerns are interconnected with the day-to-day life of local people,” explains the Rainforest Alliance’s climate director Jeff Hayward. “Students learn how carbon credits can support communities who protect and manage forests sustainably while fighting climate change.”

In addition to this free online Climate Educator Guide, the Rainforest Alliance provides in-person professional development and community training related to climate change domestically and internationally.

Now more than ever, we need leaders in education to ensure that students are prepared to use scientific evidence to make informed decisions and take responsible actions. Together, we can foster the development of climate literate nations that contribute to a sustainable future and a prosperous planet.

Learn how the Rainforest Alliance’s climate program is helping communities and business through training, certification and verification.

Get Certified: It’s Good for Your Health!

In honor of World Health Day on April 7th, here’s a look at how certification can support the health and wellbeing of farmworkers and their families around the world.

Finca Buenos Aires supplied the farm’s 20 households with water filters, an improvement that led to a dramatic decline in gastro-intestinal illnesses.

In Nicaragua, in the coffee-growing region of Matagalpa, Finca La Cumplida is working with local residents to cultivate a harmonious relationship with nature and making great strides in reforesting a region ravaged by agriculture and livestock.

Finca La Cumplida first achieved Rainforest Alliance certification in 2005. The farm has 760 permanent residents, but during coffee picking season it employs up to 2,000 workers.

As part of the certification process, La Cumplida has a health clinic with a 24-hour nurse to attend to emergencies, first aid and minor surgical needs. Medical consultations are provided twice a month: once by a doctor from the Ministry of Health and once by a doctor from the Nicaraguan nongovernmental agency Profamilia. Patients are charged a nominal fee (usually less than the equivalent to US$ 1) for medical services, and the farm picks up the bill for medicine or more serious medical treatment that would be otherwise unaffordable to the patients. The farm’s owner, Clemente Ponçon, estimates that the farm spends several hundred dollars a month on medicine and other medical care for its workers. The clinic also focuses on preventive care, with an emphasis on health education and reproductive care.

In southern India, eight tea estates have earned Rainforest Alliance certification; all of them sell their leaves to Unilever for the Lipton Yellow Label and PG tips brands. Workers on the Glendale Tea Estate benefit from social and healthcare programs, including access to doctors and nurses at an on-site hospital, schools and daycare centers.

At the Kairbetta Estate, the management provides free medical aid for all family members of workers and tea pluckers, as well as community members who would not otherwise have access to healthcare. The estate employs an on-site nurse who can attend to injuries and illnesses immediately.

In Guatemala, five generations of the Guzmán family have run the Finca Buenos Aires in the Retalhuleu region, a coffee farm that sits at an altitude of 2,000 feet (600 meters) atop a vast network of ancient Mayan and Olmec ruins. The farm has been producing aromatic beans beneath the shade of the forest canopy since 1882.

Felipe Guzmán’s commitment to sustainable farming runs as deep as his family roots in the local community.  Guzmán guided the farm to Rainforest Alliance certification in 2003. A few years later, Finca Buenos Aires supplied the farm’s 20 households with water filters, an improvement that led to a dramatic decline in gastro-intestinal illnesses. The farmworkers are also enrolled with Guatemala’s national healthcare program; Guzmán provides with free medication twice a year, and employees can also buy many basic medicines at reduced rates.