NEWS RELEASES

 Ottawa, ON – In celebration of Canadian Environment Week, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® Inc. (SFI®), today announced it will bring together stakeholders across a broad spectrum – from landowners to brand owners – to discuss and determine actions related to our most important issue globally – our forests. The SFI Annual Conference will be held September 16-18, 2014 in Montreal, Canada and will address green building, advancements in forestry research and other emerging forest issues that help shape North America’s future forests.

“Our Conference is known as a venue for action-oriented discussion about conservation initiatives and sustainable communities from Canada’s Boreal to the U.S. South and beyond,” said Kathy Abusow, President and CEO of SFI Inc. “I’m looking forward to hearing from a diverse range of voices representing environmental, economic and social organizations with a stake in our forests’ future. I’m particularly pleased to be hosting our premiere annual event in Montreal this year.”

Featured speakers include:

• James Griffiths, Director, Forest Solutions Group of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development;
• Larry Selzer, President and CEO of The Conservation Fund and SFI Board Chairman;
• Greg Siekaniec, CEO of Ducks Unlimited Canada
• Carlton Owen, President and CEO, US Endowment for Forestry and Communities;
• James (Jim) Hannan, CEO and President, Georgia-Pacific LLC; and
• Mark Rodgers, COO for Habitat for Humanity Canada.

Speakers will discuss conservation opportunities arising from the SFI certification footprint; conservation and community initiatives to promote water quality and foster sustainable forests and communities; opportunities and challenges facing brand owners in a global marketplace; and diversity issues around landownership, including African-American landowners in the United States.

SFI Conference participants include a wide cross-section of individuals and organizations who rely on the health of future forests, including forest managers, customers, landowners, manufacturers, printers, researchers, conservation and community organizations, retailers, Aboriginals and Tribal Nations, sustainability coalitions and government agencies.

“As publishers, we take seriously the commitment for sourcing our paper responsibly and keeping up on issues affecting our certified fiber supply,” says Hans Wegner, Chief Sustainability Officer of the National Geographic Society. “The SFI Annual Conference is a great place to gather related information, make connections, and ensure we’re meeting our obligation to be the best steward of our forest resources that we can be.”

Greg Siekaniec, CEO, Ducks Unlimited Canada says, “We’re looking forward to discussing priorities for the Boreal Forest and opportunities to work cooperatively with a range of interests across this important landscape to ensure the future of our forests.”

“Every participant and speaker will come away from the SFI Conference with a better understanding of how they can help support the future of our forests,” concluded Abusow.