Dole Organic

2011-11-14T08:28:00.002-06:00

Tomado de:
Los Andes - http://www.losandes.com.pe/Nacional/20111108/57731.html

La estrategia de negocios inclusivos.

En América Latina, la estrategia de los Negocios Inclusivos se ha desarrollado a través del Programa Regional de Negocios Inclusivos “Ganamos Todos”, promovido por la alianza SNV- BID FOMIN y actualmente ha beneficiado a más de 20 mil familias de escasos recursos, cuyos ingresos aumentaron entre un 20% y 70% a más.

En el Perú, se tienen exitosos proyectos con empresas sólidas como Perhusa, Dole, Acopagro, Condor Travel, Rainforest Expeditions y Firth, sumando a sus cadenas de valor a más de 14 mil beneficiarios, dotándoles de asistencia técnica, conocimiento e innovación tecnológica.

AGROEXPORTADORAS LÍDERES

El proyecto ejecutado por la líder en exportaciones de banano orgánico en Perú, Dole, desarrolló un Negocio Inclusivo que involucró al 60% de los pequeños productores de Sullana–Piura. Son 1500 bananeros que han sido organizados en asociaciones y capacitados para entregar productos con valor agregado y dentro de los estándares internacionales. Además, la empresa logró triplicar su volumen de acopio. Mientras los productores aumentaron sus ganancias en más de 50%.

5 Ways To Stay Brain Fit

2011-08-03T14:02:00.002-06:00

By David H. Murdock, Chairman DOLE Food Company, Inc.

Did you ever forget where you put your keys, or why you walked into a particular room, or what someone's name is?
Such memory lapses have been dubbed "senior moments," since many people find their brains slowing down with age. In fact, 69 percent of older adults say that one of their top fears is losing their mental function. I'm here to tell you to stop being afraid -- and start exercising your brain. Many years ago I started the Foundation for Advanced Brain Studies to explore how the brain works. We learned that brain exercise is vital to maintaining memory. Anything that engages and challenges your brain counts as brain calisthenics. At 88 years old -- with every intention of living decades longer -- I'm still running a company, writing articles, launching new ventures and fully enjoying life. You can better enjoy life too, at any age, by adopting these five ways to remain brain fit:
1) Eat beets. Researchers from Wake Forest University had 14 seniors (70 years old and up) drink either 16 oz. of beet juice or eat a control diet in the morning for two days, then used MRI machines to measure blood flow to the brain. The groups switched diets for another two days, then were tested again. The result: The beet-juice drinkers enjoyed 21 percent increased blood flow to the frontal lobes -- sensitive areas of the brain vulnerable to the degeneration that leads to dementia.
2) Eat more spinach, kale, broccoli and cauliflower. Harvard Medical School researchers found that middle-aged women who ate the most leafy greens and/or cruciferous veggies boosted their odds of maintaining mental sharpness in later years. Specifically, those who ate eight or more servings of vegetables, like spinach and broccoli, scored higher on cognitive tests than subjects who consumed just three servings a week.
3) Eat more berries. Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and other varieties have anthocyanins that can help reverse some loss of balance and memory associated with aging. Researchers at the Neuroscience Laboratory at Tufts University found blueberry-supplemented animal subjects had improved brain and motor function coordination.
4) Don't forget fish. As I have said before in my blog, I eat a fish and vegetarian diet, enjoying seafood sometimes three times a day. For example, I have two sardines for breakfast and a fish entrée for lunch and dinner. Happily, a study found that older people who eat fish at least once a week might reduce their risk of Alzheimer's by more than half. Other research indicates that the omega-3 fatty acids in fish may support the function of brain cell receptors. Fish also keeps you trim: it has half the calories and less than a tenth the saturated fat as the same size serving of beef, yet fish protein may help you feel fuller longer.
5) Drink more fruit and vegetable juice. A Vanderbilt University study found that those who drank fruit or vegetable juice more than three times per week were an astounding 75 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer's than once-a-week or non-juice drinkers. Researchers believe that the antioxidant polyphenols contained in the juice guard against the oxidation (or rust, if you will) of brain tissue. You'll get even more healthy nutrients if you squeeze (or juice) your own fruit and vegetables.
Personally I like to juice up several different kinds of fruit and vegetables - which may include various combinations of bananas, red bell peppers, apples, carrots, celery, broccoli, spinach, parsley, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.
Why is diet so important to brain health? I created and built the North Carolina Research Campus to study that question. It is the only campus in the world encompassing eight universities all working together for the benefit of health and longevity. These include Duke University, UNC Chapel Hill, NC State University, UNC Charlotte, North Carolina Central University, NC A&T State University, UNC Greensboro and Appalachian State University. According to Steven Zeisel, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Nutrition Research Institute at the North Carolina Research Institute, "The same factors that affect the health of your arteries also impact the 100,000 miles of blood vessels that support your brain. Though most brains account for less than 2 percent of body weight, they organ uses 20 percent of the body's blood supply and 25 percent of its oxygen supply."
So be smart, and you'll stay smart -- for as long as possible. Exercise your brain and body, keep engaged with work and friends, and feed your brain with a healthy, plant-based diet -- as well as knowledge.
To learn more, visit our Dole Nutrition Institute which publishes articles, brochures, videos and sign up for our Dole Nutrition News at www.dole.com.

Taken from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-h-murdock/five-ways-to-stay-brain-f_b_915574.html

2011-06-01T22:57:00.001-06:00

WORLD ENVIRONMET DAY - JUNE 5

2011-06-01T19:32:00.002-06:00

Taken from UNEP website --
World Environment Day (WED) is an annual event that is aimed at being the biggest and most widely celebrated global day for positive environmental action. WED activities take place all year round but climax on 5 June every year, involving everyone from everywhere.
WED celebration began in 1972 and has grown to become the one of the main vehicles through which the UN stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and encourages political attention and action.
Through WED, the UN Environment Programme is able to personalize environmental issues and enable everyone to realize not only their responsibility, but also their power to become agents for change in support of sustainable and equitable development.
WED is also a day for people from all walks of life to come together to ensure a cleaner, greener and brighter outlook for themselves and future generations.
Everyone counts in this initiative and WED relies on you to make this happen! We call for action – organize a neighborhood clean-up, stop using plastic bags and get your community to do the same, plant a tree or better yet organize a collective tree planting effort, walk to work, start a recycling drive . . . the possibilities are endless. Check out the WED pack for interesting suggestions on what you could do
Whatever you do, tell us about it! We will post your activities on this website and make it part of the Wide World of WED map.
So what are you going to do for WED?

Dole debuts Fair Trade Organic Pineapples and Bananas in the U.S.

2009-10-02T07:39:00.002-06:00

Read the article in The Packer:
http://thepacker.com/Dole-debuts-Fair-Trade-pineapples--bananas/Article.aspx?articleid=843790

A Video from Walking Tree Travel of their visit to one of our plantations in Costa Rica

2009-08-11T10:11:00.003-06:00

World Enviromental Day - CO2 Compensation Day - ECUADOR

2009-06-12T07:43:00.002-06:00

Dole Ecuador celebrated WED and CO2 Compensation Day as well. They planted trees and made many special contests and activities with school students. Dale Foundation also participated in the celebration.

Carbon Compensation Day - COLOMBIA

2009-06-12T07:39:00.003-06:00

Here they are some pictures from World Enviroment Day celebration in COLOMBIA.
Our colleagues from Tecnicas Baltime celebrated WED by planting trees and also compensated their vehicules´ CO2 emissions.

CO2 Compensation Day - June 5, PERU

2009-06-08T08:10:00.002-06:00

Some pictures from CO2 Compensation Day in Sullana, Piura, northern Peru.

Carbon Compensation Day - June 5. COSTA RICA

2009-06-08T08:00:00.004-06:00

Here they are some of the pics taken during CO2 Compensation Day at EcoPiñas del Arenal Organic Pineapple Farm in Muelle de San Carlos, COSTA RICA.

June 5, Carbon Compensation Day

2009-05-27T09:50:00.002-06:00

If you are not able to join us at our Organic Pineapple Farm in Costa Rica this coming Friday June 5, but you still want to compensate the CO2 emissions from your vehicule here it is an alternative:

As we all live in the same house called EARTH, you can plant your 11 trees anywhere you want, take some pictures of you and your trees and send them to luis.monge@dole.com.

DOLE ORGANIC PROGRAM will mail the CARBON COMPENSATED sticker for your vehicule!

Carbon Compensation Day - June 5

2009-05-27T07:58:00.002-06:00

It is about time to compensate your vehicule's CO2 emissions for this year.
Next friday June 5, Environment Day, is just the perfect day to "pay" the planet for your emissions.

If you do not know how, Dole Organic Program has one tip for you: PLANT TREES!!!

As you may know, every gasoline / diesel vehicule produces 5.5 Tons of CO2 per year as an average, to help the planet to capture this CO2 you can plant 11 trees, and those 11 trees will do the job for you as each tree is capable to fix 0.5 Tons of CO2 as an average.

Dole Organic Program will compensate the emissions of company cars and agricultural equipment, by planting trees in the company farms. Dole is also encouraging its independent growers to join the initiative and compensate their vehicules and equipment emissions that day.

Together we can save the planet with small actions for a big change.

EARTH is the house where we all live.

The Other America - a BBC Documental

2009-05-11T11:51:00.004-06:00

This BBC Documental shows part of the social impact that Dole Organic Program has created in Northern Peru.
Dole Peru -Copdeban works with more than 1500 small farmers organized in Associations since 2001 and that Sinergy is helping the small farmers to improve their living conditions in that region of Peru.
Dole Organic Bananas from Peru are exported to all the major markets.

Dole also created a Foundation to maximize the impact of the social and environmental projects funded by the company. Dole Foundation is operating since early 2009.

DOLE FOOD COMPANY ESTABLISHES FOUNDATION IN PERU

2009-04-17T08:52:00.002-06:00

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, California - APRIL 16, 2009

Dole Food Company, Inc. announces that Copdeban -Dole's entity in Peru- has launched a foundation in the country: the Dole Foundation of Sullana Valley. Newly inaugurated, it mainly aims at improving the health and educational conditions in the local communities and in empowering producer associations in the production and packing process.

The Dole Foundation of Sullana Valley already includes 11 Peruvian producer associations and represents more than 2,200 small farmers and agricultural workers.

The foundation focuses on five programs:

- Business Development - Providing associations with the funds, equipment and training needed to develop their banana production skills.

- Education - Providing rural schools with scholarships and infrastructure support.

- Health - Providing medical assistance to farmers, workers and their families, with a special attention paid to prevention.

- Environment - Making the community aware of practices that respect their environment.

- Community Development - Building and promoting public places and houses, and organizing family-focused events throughout the year to preserve the community life.

The foundation is financed through a one dollar contribution made for each banana box exported. The foundation's accounts will be audited on a regular basis by a third-party organization.

Dole has been operating in the Piura region in Northern Peru since 2001, where it helped develop the banana export industry by providing technical assistance to small farmers and encouraging local producers to grow organic produce. "This Foundation represents a new step forward in Copdeban's partnership with the producer organizations" said Frans Wielemaker, Director of the Dole Organic Program. "We are very proud of the program's early success. After only a few weeks, the foundation has already contributed $230,000 towards projects creating 550 new jobs and providing 40 scholarships."

The Dole Foundation of Sullana Valley in Peru is the third Dole Foundation in Latin America, joining FUNDEBAN in Colombia and DALE in Ecuador.

Dole Food Company, Inc., with 2008 revenues of $7.6 billion, is the world's largest producer and marketer of high-quality fresh fruit and fresh vegetables. Dole also markets a growing line of packaged and frozen foods, and is a produce industry leader in nutrition education and research. For more information on the company's CSR efforts, please visit www.dolecsr.com.

Social Impact of a DOLE Organic Banana Plantation in Northern Colombia.

2009-01-05T11:48:00.008-06:00

During the 4 years of operations in La Guajira, Colombia, Don Pedro Farm has shown a very positive impact among the soundrounding communities of Matitas, Choles, Anaime, Tigreras and Comejenes.
Don Pedro Farm provides full time and permanent job to hundreds of locals and contributes to the improvement of their living conditions.

On December 27th, 2008, on a very emotive act, Mr. Jorge Perez Vernier, Governor of La Guajira, Mr. Jaider Curiel, Major of Riohacha, and Mr. Roland Pinedo, Manager of Gases de la Guajira (Natural Gas Company), signed the agreement to subsidize 620 home gas connections in the above mentioned communities were most of the Don Pedro Farm’s workers live. With an investment of US$162.000, 620 families will now have access to gas in their homes.

The local authorities recognized the role of Don Pedro Farm on the Social Development of the Region and especially in the development of this project

Capacitación de Evaluadores de Producción de Banano Orgánico

2009-01-05T11:38:00.004-06:00

Ciento nueve trabajadores-operarios de la Agropecuaria San Gabriel de la finca Don Pedro, en el corregimiento de Matitas, del Municipio de Riohacha y cinco evaluadores en Producción de banano orgánico recibieron sus respectivos certificados de competencia laboral.
En la sede la plantación se desarrolló el acto donde los aprendices, trabajadores de la Finca Don Pedro, cumplieron con las diferentes etapas de formación en un ambiente colaborativo, donde el SENA contó con el irrestricto apoyo de las directivas de la compañía.
Cabe destacar que esta certificación fue entregada a un representativo grupo de mujeres de la zona, que laboran en la bananera y que mostraron su interés por recibir la certificación buscando siempre realizar un trabajo responsable para contribuir con el presupuesto familiar.
Por primera vez en el departamento de La Guajira se entrega certificación por competencia laboral en este renglón de la economía, constituyéndose los aprendices en alternativas para nuevos proyectos de banano orgánico que se tienen previstos para la región. A la fecha, con la llegada de la bananera se ha reactivado la económica de la zona y centenares de residentes en poblaciones como Matitas, Choles, Anaime y Tigreras cuentan hoy con un empleo, que además les ha dado la oportunidad de formarse en el SENA y mejorar sus competencias y calidad de vida.
Para José Ferreira, Gerente Administrador de la Finca Don Pedro, este es un logro que se obtuvo gracias al Sena, pues hace tres años cuando la empresa llegó no contaban con mano de obra residente en estas poblaciones, calificada para este oficio. “Hoy, dijo Ferreira, los nativos de la región pueden mostrar su competitividad y motivar a otros a que mejoren cada día sus competencias, porque la proyección es que los 230 trabajadores de la bananera San Pedro estén certificados por el Sena el próximo año”.

Link: http://el-informador.com/detgua.php?id=42349

Time to plant trees!

2008-08-11T17:47:00.004-06:00

Dole Organic Program is encouraging the communities to join the Company effort to become Carbon Neutral by reducing the CO2 emissions and compensate them by planting trees.

After a very successful tree planting campaign on June 5th, Environment Day, where more than 10.000 trees were planted at DOLE Organic Farms in Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Honduras and Costa Rica; people is still excited with this initiative and willing to be part of it.

Last week, at ECOPIÑAS del ARENAL, S.A., an Organic Certified Pineapple Farm owned by DOLE in Bella Vista de Cutris, 200 Kms north of San José in Costa Rica, we received the visit of Red Cross Volunteers from Ciudad Quesada (main city in northern Costa Rica).

These Red Cross Volunteers participated in an “on farm” training course about Organic Agriculture, Soil Conservation, Environmental Protection and Carbon Compensation as well as in a planting more than 500 trees in our organic certified farm.

We want to thank these brave teens for joining us in our effort to reduce our Environmental Footprint.

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

2008-06-06T12:06:00.005-06:00

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

2008-06-06T08:29:00.005-06:00

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.

TOP 10 GREEN IDEAS FOR THE YEAR

2008-02-13T23:11:00.003-06:00

Taken from: CLEAN THE AIR (http://cleartheair.wordpress.com/2008/01/24/top-10-green-ideas-for-the-year/)

Top 10 Green Ideas For The Year
January 24, 2008, 12:25 am Filed under: Eco-Friendly Tips, Marquette Turner Tags: eco-friendly, environmental, marquette turner estate agents, marquetteturner, michael marquette, simon turner
Marquette Turner are bringing to you the best new business ideas of 2007, featuring our personal favourites. This isn’t a trip down memory lane—all of these smart concepts will continue to provide entrepreneurs with plenty of opportunities in 2008. Next up, green-green-green: eco & sustainability.

1. Wind power, still made here: Windunie (Dutch for wind union) is a collective of 230 wind turbine owners, most of whom are farmers who operate turbines as an extra source of income. All sell the energy they produce directly to consumers. Windunie’s customers can pick a specific farm they want to buy electricity from. More »
2. Eco-friendly pack and move solution: Moving supplies such as boxes, bubble wrap and other packaging materials remain piled up in landfills long after people have settled into their new abodes. EarthFriendlyMoving has set out to change that by offering eco-friendly moving supplies available at consumer-friendly prices. EarthFriendlyMoving’s RecoPack—short for Recycled Ecological Packing Solution—containers are … More »
3. Biodegradable milk jugs: Designed and manufactured in Britain, Greenbottle is a biodegradable milk bottle that uses a smart two-part system to aid recycling. The bottles are composed of a cardboard outer manufactured from pulped, recycled cardboard, which is lined with an inner sleeve of biodegradable plastic made from corn starch. The plastic … More »
4. Incentive-based recycling: Going green has gotten a lot more enticing to consumers in communities served by Philadelphia-based RecycleBank. Households can earn RecycleBank Dollars, redeemable for discount coupons at select retailers, just for putting their recyclables out to be collected. But the incentives don’t stop there. It’s also great promotion and community … More »

5. Product life story labels: Product life story labels — Dole Organic lets consumers “travel to the origin of each organic product”. By typing in a fruit sticker’s three-digit Farm Code on Dole Organic’s website, customers can find the story behind their banana. Each farm’s section on the website includes background info, shows photos of the crops and workers … More »

6. Eco assessment for homes & businesses: Sydney-based Todae offers businesses practical advice for cutting down energy and water usage and reducing their environmental impact. For AUD 399, a Todae consultant will come to an office or store and check everything from recycling to heating and cooling systems. The business is then provided with a detailed … More »
7. Full-service home composting: A new start-up in Bangalore, India, hopes to arm consumers with products and services to empower them toward a simple solution for reducing landfill waste: composting. The Daily Dump offers an array of decorative composting containers that can be used in the home to manage organic household waste and … More »
8. Water ’skin’ reduces waste: Pitched as a water skin, a new bottle created by French packaging manufacturer Sidel provides a lighter alternative to traditional PET bottles. A regular plastic half-litre water bottle weighs 13 – 16 grams. Sidel’s NoBottle weighs just 9.9 grams. According to Sidel, “Water is the largest beverage market by … More »
9. Solar-powered trash masher: The BigBelly is a solar-powered waste container that aims to eliminate those all-too-familiar overflowing trash cans, keeping public spaces cleaner and greener. The flagship product of US-based Seahorse Power Company, BigBelly units compact trash on the spot, optimizing refuse capacity — a BigBelly holds up to five times as … More »
10. Eco starter kits: Most of us realize there are changes we should make in our lives to become more environmentally friendly, but overcoming inertia and actually doing it can be another matter. Now a few different companies offer starter kits to help make those changes happen.

Simon Turner simon@marquetteturner.com.au

Dole Announces Conversion of Farm Equipment to Bio-Diesel Fuel

2008-02-13T22:29:00.000-06:00

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.

--(BUSINESS WIRE)--January 25, 2008--

Dole Fresh Vegetables Company, a division of Dole Food Company, Inc. announced today that it has converted all of its harvesting equipment in Salinas, California and in Yuma, Arizona over to B20 Bio-diesel fuel.
Bio Diesel fuel is a domestic renewable fuel for diesel engines derived from natural oils. According to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Bio-diesel is the first and only alternative fuel to have a complete evaluation of emission results and potential health effects submitted to the U.S. EPA under the Clean Air Act Section 211 (b).
EPA has determined that B20 Bio Diesel has 20% less unburned hydrocarbons than conventional diesel as well as less carbon monoxide and particulate matter.
Kevin Fiori, Dole’ s Senior Vice President Agriculture Operations said "being good stewards of the environment is very important to Dole and this includes reducing emissions and using alternative sources of energy." Dole has been testing B20 Bio Diesel since August in farm equipment and off road vehicles with very positive results.
Mr. Fiori also commented that "those of us in agriculture, who depend on the environment, land, water, and air quality to grow foods, are keenly aware of the importance of applying sustainable agricultural practices."

About Dole Food Company:
Dole is committed to the quality of our products, sustainable environmental practices and the wellbeing of our 75,000 employees worldwide. Dole contributes generously to the communities where it operates around the world, promoting nutrition and health education as well as a healthier, more sustainable environment.
Dole Food Company, Inc., with 2006 revenues of $6.2 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 and frozen foods and is a produce industry leader in nutrition education and research.

Dole Food Company, Inc.
Monica Spiro, +1-818-874-4915

Carbon Compensation - Dole Organic Team - ECUADOR

2007-10-24T22:19:00.001-06:00

Dole Carbon Neutral Program has now started in the Organic Projects in Ecuador.

Leaded by Carlos Alberto Santos, Dole Organic Team in Ecuador compensated the Carbon emissions for the period 2007 - 2008 for their personal vehicules.

Nelson Marchan and Braulio Velez were the first in compensate their car´s emissions, so they got their DOLE ECO-Marchamo. They are also promoting the planting of trees to compensate the Carbon emissions for all vehicules among the independent organic banana farmers who export their fruit with UBESA - DOLE Ecuador.

Dole Ecuador own organic farm, Nueva Esperanza, will also compensate the carbon emissions from all the transportation vehicules by planting native trees on the farm. The farm is going to organize an activity to plant trees and celebrate a Carbon Compensation Day. We will report on this activity in the near future.

Worldwide accepted standards establish in 5.5 Tons of Equivalent Carbon, the emissions per vehicule per year. Those emissions can be compensated by planting 11 trees per car per year.

Ethisphere Magazine article on Dole Carbon Neutral Project

2007-10-02T20:25:00.000-06:00

Dole Food Company, Inc. Announces New Carbon Neutral Project

August 25th, 2007
Dole Food Company announced that its Costa Rican subsidiary, Fondo Nacional de Financiamento Forestal, the National Forestry Financing Fund and an entity of the Ministry of Environment and Energy of CostaRica partnered to create a carbon neutral supply chain for banana and pineapple products. The products moving from Costa Rica to North America and Europe will now travel via new, efficient transportation methods with reduced CO2 emissions.

David A. DeLorenzo, President and CEO of Dole champions the cause by saying:

“The environment is a concern for all of us. Companies, consumers, governments and non-governmental organizations should endeavor to promote and adopt new production and distribution methods and consumption behavior in order to reverse harmful trends to the environment.”

http://ethisphereblog.com/dole-food-company-inc-announces-new-carbon-neutral-project/

Brand new website for Dole Organic

2007-09-25T00:03:00.000-06:00

Dear Dole Consumer:

Taking into account most of the ideas and requests received from our visitors, DoleOrganic.com is launching its new website.
A more advanced technology and an improved design which allows a better visitor experience is now added to our concept on how to make the link between the farm and the consumer.
We invite you to access the BETA version of DoleOrganic.com and leave your comments about your experience.

Please follow this link: http://www.doleorganic.com

Kind regards,

Dole Organic Team.

Dole Food Company, Inc. Announces Carbon Neutral Project in Collaboration with Costa Rica

2007-08-11T07:32:00.000-06:00

Dole Food Company, Inc. announced that Standard Fruit de Costa Rica, Dole's operating subsidiary in Costa Rica, and Fondo Nacional de Financiamento Forestal (FONAFIFO), the National Forestry Financing Fund and an entity of the Ministry of Environment and Energy of Costa Rica, signed a ground breaking agreement to work together on a project aimed at establishing a carbon neutral product supply chain for bananas and pineapples, from their production in Costa Rica to the markets in North America and Europe.

'Carbon neutral,' as applied to the banana and pineapple product supply chains, means that the carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted to produce, pack, transport and distribute the fruit will be offset by mitigation practices which increase the capture of CO2 in order to achieve a 'neutral' balance. These practices entail new, more efficient transportation methods, changes to agricultural processes to reduce CO2 emissions, and partnering with local farmers to implement preservation and reforestation programs.

David A. DeLorenzo, President and Chief Executive Officer of Dole Food Company, Inc., stated, "The environment is a concern for all of us. Companies, consumers, governments and non-governmental organizations should endeavor to promote and adopt new production and distribution methods and consumption behavior in order to reverse harmful trends to the environment. As the world's largest producer and distributor of fruits and vegetables, Dole is determined to take the lead in its sector and the agreement with FONAFIFO is a good starting point."

Roberto Dobles, PhD., Minister of the Environment and Energy of Costa Rica, stated, "Dole is such an important company in the production of bananas and pineapples on a global level that we are very enthusiastic that Standard Fruit made the decision to strive to become a carbon neutral company here in Costa Rica and join our efforts to become the first carbon neutral country in the world by 2021. With this agreement, Dole demonstrates its enormous capacity to innovate and develop processes that will be reflected in benefits to the environment. I hope that this initiative will be followed by others in the private sector, so that we may unite efforts in favor of the environment."

Sylvain Cuperlier, Vice President, Director of Worldwide Corporate Social Responsibility of Dole Food Company, Inc., stated, "Dole has long been recognized for its environmental programs. Today, we want to utilize the Company's environmental management systems and our staff's expertise to produce and market 'carbon neutral' bananas and pineapples. To this end, we want to pull together all resources available within our Company and partner further with recognized organizations. Dole's achievements in this area will come from working relationships with our employees, independent producers, labor representatives, government, academia, NGOs, customers, and suppliers."

This project in Costa Rica will include the Organic Pineapple Farm who produces our "YourChoice" Organic Pineapples so they will become Organic C-Neutral Pineapples in the near future.

Other Dole Organic operations, as Don Pedro Farm in La Guajira, Colombia, have started with the efforts to compensate the carbon emissions. In June, during the celebration of Planet´s Day, all vehicules drivers planted trees to compensate the 5.5 Tons of CO2 genereated, as an average, by each vehicule each year. Thus, every vehicule used in Don Pedro Farm is now Carbon Compensated until next Planet´s Day.

Ethics Gone Bananas

2007-07-24T09:57:00.000-06:00

Taken from: Inside Work.

by Andrew Wooldridge.

Consumer Quality Control
Ethics Gone Bananas

In a world where the concept of ethics seems to have gone bananas, it turns out that bananas can teach a lesson or two about ethics.

Dole Organic now places 3-digit Farm Codes on each banana.Socially and environmentally-conscious buyers can plug the numbers into Dole’s website and look at a bio of the farm where their bananas were raised. The site tells the story of the farm and its surrounding community, lists its organic certifications, posts some photos, and offers a link to satellite images of the farm in Google Earth. Customers can personally monitor the production and treatment of their fruit from the tree to the grocer. The process assures the customer that their bananas have been raised to proper organic standards on an environmentally-friendly, holistically-minded plantation.

And food producers aren’t the only ones jumping on the bandwagon. Flocks, a Rotterdam-based designer clothing company, uses one sheep’s wool in each cardigan it produces. When shipped to its new owner, the sweater is tagged with that specific animal’s “passport,” including its breed, weight, age, birthplace, and photo. By actively communicating their products’ origin, Flocks connects its customers with its clothing in a unique fashion.

As the world shrinks, the distance between consumer and manufacturer shrinks too. Customers are taking an active interest in where and how their goods are produced: Is the environment being treated well? Are the methods sustainable? Are the animals treated humanely? Are the humans treated humanely? So far these companies are primarily using this connection to disclose their environmental impact and to give consumers a good story to tell their friends, but this intimate monitoring could bring accountability to other aspects of production: fair wages, child labor, safe facilities, job security, health care, etc.

It reminds me of the words of James:
"Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty."

And of Jesus in Luke 18:
"And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly."

While technology won’t bring to light every inhumane and unjust business practice, it does provide unique tools for consumers to hold their producers accountable with. What if providing information about production and manufacturing sources becomes standard? Will your company have to change practices or suppliers? Or will your company be able to say that their treatment of both the environment and their employees is upright and ethical throughout the entire chain of production?

Andrew Wooldridge (posted on 7/20/2007)

The system works! This three digits DPC created the link between the consumers and the farms.

2007-06-04T20:32:00.000-06:00

On May 24th, Amelia Shepard from U.S. sent an e-mail to Don Pedro Farm employees after visiting doleorganic.com and accessing the farm web page by entering the three digits DPC. They read it and wrote an answer to her kind message.

---Amanda Shepard wrote:--------
05/24/2007 12:58 PM
Name: Amanda Shepard
Country: USA
Comments: Thank you for what you are doing. Thank you for giving consumers the opportunity to provide aid and hope with our choices. Thank you also for this site that allows us to get a glimpse of the lives of those growing the bananas and the beautiful land on which the bananas are grown. I will think of the people and the beautiful landscape at Don Pedro Farm every time I eat a Dole organic banana. Be so proud of what you are doing!!

-------------------------------------

And here it is the answer from the Farm Employees:

To: Amanda Shepard

With all our appreciation:
Finca Don Pedro
Colombia

Ms. Shepard:

Today, at 6:05 AM, I personally read your e-mail to all our employees in Don Pedro Farm in La Guajira Colombia. They are very happy and very proud about your words. It was a different way to start their working day, somebody from a foreign country, thousands of miles north of their home town sending a beautiful and inspiring message to them, was reason enough to consider today as their better day at work ever. Luis Monge, Organic Program, DFFI.

Some of them decided to send a brief answer to you:

Jamayaa Laula Sherpard,
Hicho Arpushana tanuuria. Talatshimai tayaa suluu tayatai Finca Don Pedro. Wayüu tayaa.
Tashequin ayatawaa. Karratshi tachoin Riohacha tepia.
Anasmai putumaa tu cararouta.
Ayatuinhachi tayaa ayatain sulu tu quinevapuka supula jiakala.

Hello Ms. Shepard, I am very glad that you liked our organic bananas.
My name is Hicho Arpushana and I am Wayüu (Indian Tribe from the Sierra Nevada). I work in the harvest of the fruit at Don Pedro Farm. Because people like you choose our product I have a good job in this farm and my wife and 7 children have a better life in Riohacha – a city located 30 miles north of the farm - Thank you for you letter. I will keep harvesting the best bananas for you. (Translation from Wayüu native language – Wuayunaiki - made by Juan Pablo Romero:)

Hi Ms. Shepard!
What a beautiful message. Thank you for your support.
My name is Dulcinis Atencio, but my friends call me Dulce (Sweet in Spanish), I am mother of 4 and live in a small town called Camarones (shrimp in Spanish), 10 miles away from the farm.
I evaluate the agronomical practices at the banana fields.
Your letter made me feel that my work is appreciated.
Thank you very much!

Ms. Shepard:
My name is Jaider Deluque; I am 40 years old, have 1 son and also live in Camarones, close to Dulce´s house.
I work on the harvest crew.
I harvested these bananas for you. I hope you like them.
Thanks for the note.
Jaider.

Hi Amanda!
My name is Marta Conde from Comejenes, a small town next to Don Pedro Farm.
I am 25 years old, have 4 children and my fifth will born at the end of July.
This is my first job, I started out on the nursery, then I got promoted to the packing plant and now, as I am in my sixth month of pregnancy, they gave me a softer job preparing the identification colored ribbons for the fruit, so your next bananas will be harvested on time.
Thanks a lot for your letter and for buying our organic bananas.

Ms. Shepard:
You made my day with your note!
It was a nice way to start my work this morning, imaging how much you appreciate the work that I do at Don Pedro Farm even when you didn’t know me.
My name is Kilder Toro, my job is to take care of the bananas you will eat in two years from today, and yes I am responsible for the banana plant nursery. I take the baby banana plants and help them to grow healthy enough to be planted on the fields.
Enjoy them!

Hola Ms. Shepard!
Mi name is Marcelino Deluque from Comejenes. I am a father of 6, big family I know!!!, but no problem, I am a tractor driver in Don Pedro Farm and thanks to my job I can afford it.
Your letter was very kind, we appreciated it a lot.
Thanks for take the time to send it to us.
Marce.

Amanda:
Yes, I am the cook at Don Pedro Farm and I also liked your letter. You must be a very special person to send us such a beautiful message.
Even when I do not work directly with the bananas as my partners do, I feed them all, so I am part of the team too.
Whenever you want to taste a real Guajira meal, come to Don Pedro and I will prepare something special for you.
Thank you for choosing our organic bananas.
Luz Elena Nuñez.

Ms. Shepard:
Hi, we are Karen and Yaimi.
Your letter is very inspiring for us. We both work checking the quality of your bananas.
It is very nice to receive a note like yours. We will keep doing our best to send the best quality fruit to your home.
Thank you for letting us know that we are doing good.
Bye!

Amanda:
Hi, I am Midelfi Mejías, mother of 3. I live in Camarones and work at the packing plant in Don Pedro.
You said you will keep us in your mind every time you eat an organic banana, we promise to keep you in mind every time we pack your bananas.
Thank you for your letter.

Midelfi.

Señora Shepard:
Everything started with this small sticker with the three digits... It is hard to believe that this tiny piece of paper created a beautiful link between you and all of us in Don Pedro.
My name is Tatiana Barros from Tigreras, another small town about 10 miles away from Don Pedro, I am 23, mother of 2 and I put the stickers on the organic bananas.

Señora Amanda:
Hi, I am Briceña, I work with Tatiana and also live in Tigreras. (But I am still single!!!)
I just wanted to say GRACIAS, because you made me feel very good with your words.

Thanks a lot, I mean it.
Briceña Pallares.

Ms. Shepard:
Take a look. This is a 48 boxes pallet ready to be sent to your country. My job is to keep the track on every box we send from Don Pedro to the rest of the World.
Can you see the bar codes, well I enter every code on a traceability system and if we want to know the location of a specific box, we just need to ask the system and it will let us know everything about that box.
But now, we went further, today we knew something more about our bananas, we now know that you choose them and that you like them.
Thank you for letting us know.
Olga Morales, 22 years old, Tigreras.

Ms. Shepard:
My name is José Ferreira, Manager of Don Pedro Farm.
Today we worked harder and more inspired than ever.
As this enormous Ceiba tree in the middle of the farm, we want to keep growing and offering the best to the World.
But as this tree needs the soil, we need your support.
Thank you very much for your e-mail.

¡Thank you - Gracias – Anasmai !

Don Pedro Team
La Guajira, Colombia
May 30th, 2007

2007 World's Most Ethical Companies

2007-05-17T22:21:00.000-06:00

Dole has been elected as one of the 2007 World's Most Ethical Companies

Ethisphere Magazine recognizes and rewards ethical leadership and business practices worldwide.

The winners of the World’s Most Ethical Companies are the standouts. Each forces other companies to follow its leadership or fall behind. Each uses ethical leadership as a profit driver.
Ethics are absolute. Business ethics are relational. And ethical leadership requires a position of influence.
What does that mean? Certainly there are absolutes to business ethics, such as respecting employees and stakeholders, competing fairly and within the law, and being a responsible corporate citizen.
Companies routinely compete for recognition for their “corporate citizenship” or “best place to work” award. And predictably, a select few pharmaceutical companies, a handful of consulting and high-tech firms, and a couple of retailers appear near the top of the list.
The absolutes are the necessary grounding for a company to have strong core values to build upon. The context is the environment in which a company operates, both geographically as well as industrially.
The best lens through which to view a company’s ethical leadership behavior is to examine a company compared to other companies in the same industry. Are they leading, are they following, or are they ignoring? And to be a leader, the company needs to have or build a competitive edge, such as size or technology, which allows it to be influential.
In assembling the 2007 rankings of the World’s Most Ethical Companies, the researchers and editors of Ethisphere examined more than 5,000 companies across 30 separate industries looking for true ethical leadership.
We looked for absolutes. We examined companies in relational context of their industries. And we looked for influential leadership that moved others to change or follow.
Companies were measured in a rigorous eight-step process and then scored against nine distinct ethical leadership criteria.

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Dole was the only one Fresh Fruit, Vegetables and Flowers company ranked by Ethisphere Magazine.
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As part of the 2007 Word’s Most Ethical Companies analysis, Ethisphere Council researchers interviewed dozens and dozens of companies in great depth about their compliance and ethics activities. This included talking to “both” CEOs (the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Ethics Officer) in most cases. Following are some excerpts and reports from selected companies that we found particularly worth highlighting.

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The winners of the World’s Most Ethical Companies are the standouts. Each of these companies has materially higher scores versus competitors in their industries. Each forces other companies to follow its leadership or fall behind. Each uses ethical leadership as a profit driver. And each of these companies embodies the true spirit of Ethisphere’s credo: Good. Smart. Business. Profit.

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View the complete article at: http://www.ethisphere.com/Ethisphere_Magazine_0207/WME-2007-Q2

Dole Organic Website: building the link between the farm and the organic consumer

2007-05-07T22:57:00.000-06:00

In February 2007, Dole Organic Program launched its website doleorganic.com with the objective to approach the organic consumer to the origin of the product.
Three months later, this initiative has been accepted as a great idea and as something that should be replicated.
Dole Organic Program will launch its BETA version of doleorganic.com very soon. The new version will include many of the suggestions received including the feedbacks and comments left on the contact e-mail and those published on blogs and websites.

Dole Organic Program is committed with the transparency and the building of a new relationship with Dole consumers.

This is just the beggining.

Regards,
Dole Organic.

Here they are some comments about the website: doleorganic.com

Chews Wise by Samuel Fromartz: The Transparent Banana?
" Dole revealed a shape of things to come in the food market - Transparency! - by allowing customers to see where their bananas come from."

Groovy Green by Steve Balogh: The Transparent Banana? "... transparency is beginning to show up in the grocery store. What a great concept."

Digital Media Wire by Rohit Bhargava: Dole´s Organic Bananas and the Importance of Backstories "...the effort represents a great example of new thinking that product marketers are using to capitalize on the global trend towards ethical consumerism..."

American Feast´s Sustainable Food Blog by Tim Tango: Look up your Food Online "... This is an ingenious use of the Internet and one that should be replicated..."

Typepad by Amelia Torode: Talking Green Bananas "...it's a really smart piece of creative thinking... educated consumers are still looking for "the story behind..."

"I am fascinated by the Dole Organics story - on their site they are picking up on blog posts and consumer comments about this initiative. I think that this is a great case study of who to use the web to a smart, positive effect."

chroma by Dino Demopoulos: Transmedia Bananas "...it's pretty smart. And it gives you an excuse to use the phrase "transmedia bananas".

Treehugger by Kara DiCamillo: Do you know where your banana has been? "We find this a very interesting concept that seems extremely beneficial for consumers."