Co-Chairs
John Thorne - CropLife America
Patrick Bohlen - MacArthur Agro-ecology Research Center
Guiding Objectives from the Standards Committee
Method for Developing Criteria
- Develop a minimum number of specific, measurable criteria that will meet the goals of Environmental Sustainability, starting with the Ecological Principles identified in the Mission & Principles Task Force Sustainability Principles Document.
- Select the best metrics used in other standards that measure these criteria and clarify what needs to be measured if existing metrics are not adequate.
Method for Developing Criteria
- Review the Sustainability Principles Document to ground the subcommittee's work in agreed-upon broad areas of sustainability.
- Identify additional sources of environmental criteria or standards that should be obtained for reference, as well as additional resource people (e.g. researchers) to assist with technical information.
- Develop a structure for organizing criteria and metrics consistent with the structural principles identified in the Sustainability Principles Document, in collaboration with the Structure & Process subcommittee.
- Review metrics used in other standards that are existing and under development, relevant to Environmental Sustainability, and select the ones that best meet the Mission & Principles of the Sustainable Agriculture Standard, as refined by this subcommittee.
- If existing metrics are not adequate, develop better metrics, drawing from current work wherever possible to avoid redundancy and harmonize across standards.