CLF Ventures is working with Wholesome Wave Foundation to offer a complimentary webinar about the Food Safety Modernization Act and implications for food hub operators. The food hub work with Wholesome Wave continues CLF Ventures’ efforts to build capacity and develop resources for sustainable food organizations in New England.

Proposed FDA Food Safety Modernization Act Requirements
for Emerging Food Hub Operators:

Q&A with FDA Representatives
& Perspectives from Local Food Leaders

April 17, 2013
11:00 A.M -12:30 P.M. EDT

 
Comments are due on May 16, 2013 for two proposed rules issued in January under the Food Safety Modernization Act: “Current Good Manufacturing Practices and Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventative Controls for Human Food” and “Standard for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption.” This webinar aims to help food hubs and related enterprises to understand the implications of the proposed rules in time for them to submit comments to FDA by the May comment period deadline.

The webinar will target small and early stage businesses/operators that aggregate, distribute and process farm food products. Speakers will include representatives from FDA to provide detail on the proposed rules as well as representatives from non-profit organizations who will speak about the impacts of proposed FSMA rules on growing local food hubs. The webinar will include an interactive Q&A with speakers as well as help in finding additional resources about the proposed rules and the comment submittal process.

To register for this complimentary webinar, go to https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/640965334.

For more information about registration, contact gabrielle@wholesomewave.org.

For more information on CLF Ventures’ sustainable agriculture work, visit CLF’s Food and Farm page.

How does a community balance the potential costs of siting clean energy projects with the economic benefits they provide? What are the local economic realities of hosting distributed clean energy generation facilities and energy efficiency projects in a community? CLF Ventures explored these questions and others in a recent webinar we co-sponsored with the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) and the Massachusetts Municipal Association’s (MMA) Massachusetts Municipal Energy Group.

The first in a three-part series CLF Ventures is co-hosting this summer and fall, the August 15 webinar featured a presentation by James McGrath, Park and Open Space Program Manager for Pittsfield, a Massachusetts Green Community that has hosted several large-scale solar projects and implemented robust, community-wide energy efficiency programs. He spoke about how to initiate clean energy projects, the advantages of clean energy at the local level, and strategies to manage the most common roadblocks in implementation.

The webinar series is targeted to municipal officials and volunteers who are already engaged in clean energy and energy efficiency issues or interested in learning more about how to site and finance clean energy facilities and programs in their communities. Building on themes explored in CLF Ventures’ earlier work with MassCEC on siting land-based wind energy projects, the webinar series gives participants an opportunity to learn first-hand from municipal leaders and technical experts as they share their experiences implementing clean energy and energy efficiency projects across Massachusetts.

Upcoming webinars on September 12 and October 24 will explore how to engage the public when siting solar and wind energy projects and the ins and outs of financing clean energy through power purchase agreements. For more information or to register for upcoming webinars, email liz.carver@clf.org.

Leaves are falling, autumn has arrived – and so has a new look for CLF Ventures, CLF’s non-profit strategy-consulting arm. CLF Ventures bridges the public and private sectors to advance innovative, market-based solutions that benefit the environment, society, and our clients’ bottom line. With a new logo and a newly redesigned website, CLF Ventures is taking our message of “Environmental Gain – Economic Advantage” to the next level.

The new CLF Ventures logo was designed to complement the CLF logo while capturing the unique mission and value that CLF Ventures brings to our clients. The two overlapping leaves in the new CLF Ventures logo embody our message that the environment and the economy are interconnected, not mutually exclusive, and that we need to pay attention to both to have a truly thriving and sustainable economy. “If you really look closely,” says CLF Ventures CEO Jo Anne Shatkin, “you see the “V” inside the leaves – that’s the “V” for Ventures, but it’s also a check mark, which says ‘yes, we know how to make things happen.’ CLF Ventures is like those two overlapping leaves. We’re uniquely positioned to help our clients because we’re part of the environmental community and we understand what businesses and innovators need to operate and thrive.”

The redesigned CLF Ventures website highlights the breadth of our services and the wide variety of partners we help. Our new homepage features a revolving showcase of the “Four I’s” – Innovate, Incubate, Integrate, and Initiate – which captures CLF Ventures’ mission to bring about positive environmental change through the marketplace. Many people are familiar with CLF Ventures’ work to help facilities integrate their operations with sound environmental principles and operate both sustainably and profitably. But CLF Ventures also helps entrepreneurs and clean technology leaders innovate their products and technologies and bring them to market. We incubate replicable, new businesses that create shared value and improve the environment. And we initiate opportunities that propel new investment models toward the triple bottom line. Our redesigned website allows us to share our story – and our mission – with a broader audience. We hope you’ll check out www.clfventures.org and let us know what you think.

(L-R) Tim Harwood, VP for Development, CLF; Deb Cary, Director of Central Sanctuaries, Mass Audubon; and Liz Carver, Managing Director, EIA at the July 16 Discovery Day at Broad Meadow Brook in Worcester. (Photo credit: Malene Christensen, Mass Audubon)

On Saturday, July 16, the Environmental Insurance Agency (EIA) joined about 200 adults and children for a free day of guided walks, raptor demonstrations, and wildlife crafts at Mass Audubon’s Broad Meadow Brook in Worcester, MA. Since 2010, EIA has been the exclusive sponsor of Mass Audubon’s Discovery Days, a series of free, activity-filled open houses at wildlife sanctuaries across the state. Join EIA at the next Discovery Day at Drumlin Farm in Lincoln on August 6, and at upcoming Discovery Days in Milton’s Great Blue Hills, Attleboro Springs, and Wellfleet Bay this fall. View the full Mass Audubon Discovery Day schedule here.

EIA is a unique kind of insurance agency that helps policyholders save money and protect the environment through its auto or homeowners insurance products. A subsidiary of Conservation Law Foundation, EIA rewards policyholders who “go green” by driving less than the average in their community. With EIA, the less you drive, the more you save — and a portion of every EIA policy helps fund CLF’s efforts to fight air pollution and climate change, reduce gas consumption, and promote accessible, affordable transportation choices throughout New England. EIA and CLF are actively working to establish mileage-based, or Pay-as-You-Drive (PAYD) auto insurance in New England. A 2010 study commissioned by CLF and EIA suggests that the PAYD approach would significantly reduce miles driven, auto accident losses, insurance costs, and greenhouse gas emissions, creating a win-win-win situation for insurers, consumers, and the environment. Learn how you can protect your car, protect your planet, and save money with EIA at http://eiainsurance.com/.