{"id":18683,"date":"2012-09-12T21:49:57","date_gmt":"2012-09-12T21:49:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/162.217.168.59\/?p=18683"},"modified":"2023-03-22T15:56:18","modified_gmt":"2023-03-22T19:56:18","slug":"bill-banzhaf-honored","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forests.org\/fr\/bill-banzhaf-honored\/","title":{"rendered":"Bill Banzhaf Honored for Shaping SFI Certification Receives Dr. Sharon Haines Memorial Award"},"content":{"rendered":"

MILWAUKEE, WI<\/strong> \u2013 William (Bill) Banzhaf received the Dr. Sharon Haines Memorial Award for\u00a0Innovation and Leadership in Sustainability today for his dedication and diplomacy in showing all\u00a0interested stakeholders how they can work together to achieve sustainable forest management.<\/p>\n

The award, created by Sustainable Forestry Initiative\u00ae (SFI\u00ae) and International Paper, honors Dr. Sharon\u00a0Haines, who was International Paper\u2019s director of the Office of Sustainability before she passed away in\u00a02007. It recognizes individuals or teams who promote sustainable forestry concepts and achievements.<\/p>\n

\u201cSharon Haines was a very good friend so this award is a special honor for me,\u201d Banzhaf said at the SFI\u00a0Annual Conference. \u201cSharon and I worked together to identify common interests and facilitate\u00a0understanding so the forest products industry an \u00a0environmental organizations could work together \u2013 and\u00a0this is the key to SFI\u2019s strength. I have always admired the willingness of industry and environmental\u00a0CEOs who work progressively for better practices.\u201d<\/p>\n

Banzhaf, who is retired and lives in Manistique and Marquette, MI, began his career in Milwaukee. He\u00a0was Executive Vice-President of the Society of American Foresters in 1995 when he was invited to join\u00a0an expert review panel offering advice during the early development of the SFI third-party forest\u00a0certification program. He served on the panel until 2000 when he was elected to a governing board set up\u00a0to control the SFI standard and certification procedures. The board selected Banzhaf as President and\u00a0CEO of the new Sustainable Forestry Board when it became a non-profit charitable organization in 2002.\u00a0He retired in 2007, shortly after SFI Inc. was created as a fully independent non-profit to maintain,\u00a0oversee and improve all aspects of the internationally recognized SFI program.<\/p>\n

\u201cInternational Paper is pleased to support this annual award honoring a dear colleague, Sharon Haines.\u00a0Her work was an excellent catalyst for International Paper\u2019s global sustainability efforts underway today.\u201d\u00a0said Teri Shanahan, International Paper\u2019s Vice President Sustainability. \u201cInternational Paper remains\u00a0firmly committed to protecting the forests of the earth, and we are proud to recognize individuals who\u00a0share that passion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kathy Abusow, who became President and CEO of SFI Inc. when Banzhaf retired, said \u201cBill helped build\u00a0SFI\u2019s foundation for the collaborative and inclusive approach that allows us to achieve so much today.\u00a0His decisions and actions in 2002 set the stage for an independent certification program that has improved\u00a0conservation practices on the ground and provided value to the marketplace.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Dr. Sharon Haines memorial award is open to teams or individuals from either an SFI program\u00a0participant or a close partner who demonstrate exemplary work in developing, implementing and\u00a0promoting sustainability in their organization, working collaboratively with external stakeholders, leading\u00a0by example, and\/or broadening the understanding of sustainable forestry concepts and achievements. In\u00a02009, Lawrence (Larry) A. Selzer, President and CEO of The Conservation Fund \u2013 the top-rated\u00a0environmental charity in the U.S. for the last 11 years as ranked by Charity Navigator and the American\u00a0Institute of Philanthropy \u2013 was the first award recipient. Selzer is Vice-Chair of the SFI Board of\u00a0Directors.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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