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Sales of organic produce have been steadily rising, and farmers worldwide have stepped up to provide a year-round supply of certified organic fruits and vegetables, experts say. Nearly all items in the produce section are available in organic, with prices fluctuating based on supply, says Claris Ritter of Alfalfa's Market in Colorado. "Price is really a function of supply, and we're still having greater demand than supply," Ritter said. "We'll have to see, if we ever do catch up to the demand, what happens with the price

Organic food manufacturer Amy's Kitchen, Farm Aid, Clif Bar & Company, The Urban Farm, Organic Seed Alliance and the Center for Food Safety are among more than 150 farm organizations, millers, retailers, bakeries, seed businesses and food processors urging the US Department of Agriculture to improve its oversight of experimental trials of genetically engineered crops.

McDonald's is offering 100% organic beef hamburgers sourced from organic farms for a limited time in Germany. The company's new offering will be available from Oct. 1 to Nov. 18.

Starting this month, the big box giant aims to drive down the price of organic food nationwide with its new in-house line of 100 or so products in exclusive partnership with Wild Oats, a pioneering health brand of the 1980s. Walmart's new Wild Oats organic products - including kitchen cupboard staples like olive oil and black beans - will cost about 25 percent less than those sold by competitors, based on price comparisons of 26 national brands.

Photovoltaics made from organic semiconductors that can be 3D printed to cover large areas also turn out to be better than their silicon-based counterparts at capturing solar energy in cloudy environments, writes Jenny Xie. The key is the ability of organic photovoltaics to generate electricity regardless of the angle of the sun's rays

the creator of the sports-nutrition snacks began executing his commitment to organic agriculture and a sustainable supply chain. One of Erickson's first moves was to hire Elysa Hammond, a former classmate with whom he worked on issues involving hunger, agriculture and the environment during their college days. As the vision of sustainable food production came into focus, Hammond assumed the title of director of environmental sustainability.In May, 24 years after Clif bars, gels, trail mixes and other products first appeared, the company had a palette with which to paint a picture of sustainable manufacturing. The central design principle was biophilia - literally love of life, the concept of humanity's connection with nature and love of other living organisms.

Cotton is planted on 2.4 percent of the world's crop land and yet it accounts for 24 percent and 11 percent of the global sales of insecticide and pesticides, respectively. Organic cotton represents less than 1 percent of the global total annual crop, but National Geographic, international clothing brand C&A, and activist and filmmaker Alexandra Cousteau believe that needs to change. A new 60-minute documentary, For the Love of Fashion, emphasizes "the need for a paradigm shift in the cotton value chain."

Poultry company Perdue Foods became the target of animal welfare organizations after an undercover investigation by Mercy For Animals (MFA) revealed illegal animal abuse at two of the company's contract farms. Almost 182,000 people signed a petition urging Perdue to adopt better animal welfare standards. After negotiations with MFA and other groups, Perdue announced new animal welfare policies this week. And animal welfare organizations are praising the company's new policies. MFA described it as the "most comprehensive animal welfare policy ever adopted by a major chicken producer." Perdue is one of only four companies that control most of the chicken industry.

Ben & Jerry's, Stonyfield Farm, and over 200 other companies and organizations signed a letter urging President Obama to institute a national labeling system for genetically engineered foods.

Fifty-seven global companies organized by the Climate Group signed a letter urging the European Council to adopt a strong energy and climate policy framework during their meeting later this month. Signatories included 3M (CEF member), Coca Cola Enterprises, General Electric (CEF member), GlaxoSmithKline, IKEA, Philips, Shell, and Unilever (CEF member).

Since 2007, the World Wildlife Fund and Coca-Cola have jointly raised tens of millions of dollars for water conservation projects. The partnership proved a winner for both organizations, write E. Richard Brownlee and Allison Elias. "What began as a relationship full of risk and uncertainty grew into a robust partnership built on trust at all levels of the organizations," they explain

Levi Strauss and Marks & Spencer joined Fashion Loved by Forests, an initiative organized by nonprofit organization Canopy that seeks to eliminate the use of endangered forest fiber in the fashion industry. Other companies involved in the initiative include EILEEN FISHER, H&M, Inditex, Patagonia (CEF member), Stella McCartney, and more.

H&M's new Conscious Exclusive collection showcases clothing made of sustainable materials such as hemp, organic linen and organic leather.

As national parks face issues with unmanaged waste during the government shutdown, Keep America Beautiful, the largest community improvement organization in the United States, and Nestlé Waters North America, one of the leading beverage companies in North America, announced today that they are teaming up to help mobilize affiliate organizations and volunteers across the country to clean up these shared public spaces.

The organizations cite research undertaken by universities, government agencies, laboratories, plastic trade associations and NGOs that have concluded oxo-degradable plastics are not suited for long-term reuse, recycling or composting. Instead, evidence has shown that these plastics often fragment into small pieces often not visible to the naked eye; those microplastic particles in turn often end up in both soil and oceans.

Recent studies show that the soil in organic farms is up to 44% more effective at trapping carbon that conventionally farmed soil. This discovery is just one of many reasons the UN Food and Agriculture Organization is calling on the world to embrace more sustainable farming practices

Just 12% of the global population lives in cities with acceptable air quality, and half of all urbanites are subjected to air pollution levels more than 2.5 times the recommended threshold, according to a new study from the World Health Organization. Mexico City, Karachi and Delhi are among the worst offenders, and researchers also found poor air quality in the U.S. and in European metropolises such as Paris and London

Designer Eileen Fisher, apparel companies Quiksilver, Prana, Patagonia, Lululemon Athletica and other global clothing brands with revenues totaling more than $4 billion have partnered with environmental organization Canopy to develop purchasing policies that aim to end the use of endangered forest fiber. The companies along with 14 eco-designers are working to craft forest-friendly purchasing policies that track which forests their rayon and viscose fabrics are from. The group also will work to eliminate controversial forest fiber from their supply chains.

Tourism is one of the largest and fastest-growing economic sectors in the world contributing 9 per cent to global GDP, accounting for one in 11 jobs worldwide and for 6 per cent of global exports, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) reported today as it launched a programme aiming to catalyze a shift to more sustainable tourism.

Along the oceanside bluffs just north of Goleta, one farm is producing 20 to 25 varieties of organic produce using a sustainable farming method that uses as little as 10 percent of the amount of water used in traditional agriculture.