DOLE FOOD COMPANY, INC. ANNOUNCES WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY TREE-PLANTING AND CLIMATE CHANGE AWARENESS CAMPAIGN

Dole Food Company, Inc and its operating divisions in Latin America celebrated World Environment Day yesterday by organizing tree-planting events and environmental awareness campaigns with communities, employees and local officials to motivate participants to work toward environmental protection and mitigation of climate change.

Jonathan Bass, President of Dole Latin America stated, “I am pleased to see and share in the excitement that these World Environment Day events have produced with our employees and workers and particularly within the communities in which our production units operate. We all have an important role to play in protecting the environment”.

In Costa Rica, the event is also linked to the official opening of Dole’s organic pineapple plantation reaffirming the company’s leading position in organic agriculture and alternative production methods. The activity includes the planting of 5,000 trees provided by the National Electricity Institute as part of the Costa Rican Government’s pledge to plant 7 million trees in the year 2008. School children, local government regulators, field workers, office employees, neighbors and the region’s congresswoman will plant trees at the organic plantation to commemorate World Environment Day and demonstrate the effectiveness of private, public and community partnership.

The reforestation events are also part of Dole’s commitment to work toward carbon neutrality. It is estimated that for every ten trees approximately 5 tons of C02 per year can be captured from the atmosphere. The activities held in Honduras, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia and Costa Rica serve as an opportunity for participating employees and neighbors to compensate for the emissions produced by their own vehicles, creating awareness to take action to alleviate climate change.

“This grass roots reforestation event brings many benefits including helping to reduce erosion, protecting water sources, and contributing to biodiversity. In addition, the carbon dioxide emissions from the agricultural machinery used in pineapple production will be compensated by the carbon fixed by the trees.”, commented Richard Toman, Vice-President of Pineapple Operations for Dole Fresh Fruit International Ltd.

Tree-planting at ECOPIÑAS del Arenal in Costa Rica

Tree-planting at Bananasoma Organica Farm in Ecuador

More pictures to come....

Dole Food Company, Inc. Named to “World’s Most Ethical Companies” List by Ethisphere Magazine

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dole Food Company, Inc. was named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for a second year in a row by Ethisphere Magazine, a national publication. Ethisphere is a think-tank dedicated to the research and promotion of profitable best practices in global governance, business ethics, compliance and corporate responsibility. The award was revealed at the Ethisphere and Forbes joint-conference, “Driving Profit through Ethical Leadership,” held on June 3rd.
“It is an honor to once again receive this designation from Ethisphere Magazine,” said David DeLorenzo, President and Chief Executive Officer of Dole Food Company. He added, “Dole’s core values are based on corporate ethics and social responsibility. Our employees and business associates are our company and their own ethics empowers the cultural environment and spirit in which we operate.”
Researchers and analysts reviewed several thousand companies in order to determine the finalists, which included a rigorous, multi-step evaluation process. The 2008 World’s Most Ethical Companies methodology committee is comprised of leading attorneys and government officials, professors and leaders who care about ethical and honest business practices.
The extensive research process included reviewing over 10,000 of the world’s leading companies on six continents. Ethisphere analysts reviewed codes of ethics, litigation and regulatory infraction histories; evaluated investment in innovation and sustainable business practices; looked at companies’ activities to improve corporate citizenship; studied nominations from senior executives, industry peers, suppliers and customers; and worked with consumer action groups for feedback and rating.
About Dole Food Company, Inc.
Dole Food Company, Inc., with 2007 revenues of $6.9 billion, is the world's largest producer and marketer of high-quality fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and fresh-cut flowers. Dole markets a growing line of packaged foods and frozen fruit and is a produce industry leader in nutrition education and research. For more information on the company’s CSR efforts, go to dole.com.
About the Ethisphere Council
The Ethisphere Council was created in 2006 by Corpedia, a leader in risk assessment and eLearning for ethics and compliance, the Practising Law Institute, a non-profit organization committed to enhancing the professionalism of attorneys and others and LexisNexis, a leading provider of comprehensive information and business solutions; and Formed with support from such leading corporations as Deutsche Telekom, Time Warner, Dresser Industries, Avaya and Kraft, the council is dedicated to the research, creation, and sharing of best practices in ethics, compliance, and corporate governance among its membership companies. It also focuses on the development and advancement of its members through increased efficiency, innovation, tools, mentoring, advice, and unique career opportunities. More information on membership can be found at http://www.ethisphere.com/.

Ranking
Ethical leadership can and should be profitable. through recognizing companies that pursue an ethical leadership model, the Ethisphere Institute both rewards such behavior and motivates winners and other companies to strive for future recognition.