Identifying The Unsung Heros
September 9, 2002
Memorandum
To: George Siemon
From: Roger Blobaum
Re: D.C. Organic Supporters
Since late 1989, organic supporters in D.C. organized themselves first in a series of working groups and then, beginning with the first rule proposal eight years later, joined the larger effort coordinated by the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture. They also participated actively in the monthly brown bag lunches organized by Ferd Hoefner to coordinate work on the 1995 farm bill and in the Campaign’s continuing effort to get funding for sustainable agriculture initiatives and for implementation of the Organic Foods Production Act.
The first attempt to identify these supporters came early in 1989 at a breakfast organized by CSPI at our first national conference. The first formal organizational effort came a few days after the national organic farming sector meeting in November of 1989 at Leavenworth, Kansas. I was one of three or four outsiders who participated in this meeting.
Since I was the chair or co-chair of all three D.C. working groups that were active on Capitol Hill and elsewhere until the first rule was proposed, and provided the small amount of administrative backup required to keep them going, I have extensive files on who was involved. I believe these files include the names of everyone who participated to any extent. They also include sign-in lists for many of the D.C. participant meetings held. This provides information on those who were interested in helping but declined to become formally affiliated.
The initial D.C. effort (not all had D.C. addresses as a few had offices in Maryland or Virginia) focused on helping shape and pass the Organic Foods Production Act. This group, known simply as the Organic Working Group, was one of three organized organic groups fully involved in 1990 in this legislative effort. The other two were the farmer/certifier group that was organized at Leavenworth and later became the short-lived OFAC organization, and the Potomac Partners (the industry lobbying group organized and funded by OFPANA members and others). The Organic Working Group, made up of D.C.-based members, and the organic farmer/certifier group that evolved from the Leavenworth meeting worked closely and harmoniously together throughout 1990.
This memo provides membership and/or mailing lists for the three main D.C. organic groups active in the 1989-1997 period. It provides names, organizational affiliations, and addresses as they appear on these lists. Many of those listed are no longer active as organic advocates and, unfortunately, I have little information on where they are now.
Organic Working Group (organized in December of 1989 and made up primarily of consumer, environmental, and animal protection organizations).
Roger Blobaum, Co-Chair Director of Americans for Safe Food Center for Science in the Public Interest 1875 Connecticut Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20009
Allen Rosenfeld, Co-Chair Public Voice for Food and Health Policy 1001 Connecticut Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20036
Tim Warman
American Farmland Trust
1920 N Street, NW Washington, DC 20036
Susan Boyd
Concern, Inc.
1794 Columbia Road, NW
Washington, DC 20006
Paul Faeth
World Resources Institute
1735 New York Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20006
Maureen Hinkle
National Audubon Society
801 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20003
Jim Aidala
Environmental Consultant
318 Moncure Drive Alexandria, VA 22314
Garth Youngberg
Institute for Alternative Agriculture
9200 Edmonston Road Greenbelt, MD 20770
Walt Grazer
U.S. Catholic Conference
3211 4″ Street, NE Washington. DC 20017
Don Reeves
Bread for the World
802 Rhode Island Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20016
Nancy Watzman
Public Citizen
215 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE Washington. DC 20003
Martha Glenn
Humane Society of the U.S.
2100 L Street, NW Washington, DC 20037
Kathy Ozer
National Family Farm Coalition
80 F Street, NW Washington, DC 20001
Kristin Rand
Consumers Union
2001 S Street, NW Washington, DC 20009
Sandy Schlicker
McMahon and Associates
1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20004
Ferd Hoefner
Public Policy Research and Advocacy
110 Maryland Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002
Valerie Wilk
Farmworker Justice Fund
2001 S Street, NW Washington, DC 20009
Wendy Cohen
Center for Resource Economics
1718 Connecticut Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20009
Janet Hathaway/Tom Kuhnle
Natural Resources Defense Council
1350 New York Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20005
Jay Feldman/Susan Cooper
National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides
701 E Street, SE Washington, DC 20003
Cheryl Cook
National Farmers Union
600 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20024
Peggy Miller
Consumer Federation of America
1424 16th Street, NW Washington, DC 20036
Deborah Weiner
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
1755 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20036
Kathryn Hohmann
Sierra Club
408 C Street, NE Washington, DC 20002
Paul Hazen
National Cooperative Business Association
1401 New York Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20005.
Organic Food Act Implementation Working Group (Held Organic Food Production Act informational meetings and worked together in the 1991-93 period to mobilize support for Capitol Hill for appropriations needed to implement it).
Roger Blobaum,
Chair World Sustainable Agriculture Association
1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20004
Allen Rosenfeld
Public Voice for Food and Health Policy
1001 Connecticut Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20036
Peggy Miller
Consumer Federation of America
1424 16th Street, NW Washington, DC 20036
Melanie Adcock/Stacy Bohlen
Humane Society of the U.S.
2100 L Street, NW Washington, DC 20037
Garth Youngberg
Institute for Alternative Agriculture
9200 Edmonston Drive Greenbelt, MD 20770
Kathy Ozer
National Family Farm Coalition
80 F Street, NW Washington, DC 20001
Bill Barclay
Greenpeace
1436 U Street, NW Washington, DC 20009
Sandy Schlicker
McMahon and Associates
1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20004
Cindy Campbell
Center for Science in the Public Interest
1875 Connecticut Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20009
Fred Hoefner
Public Policy Research and Advocacy
110 Maryland Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002
Robin Marks
Natural Resources Defense Council
1350 New York Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20005
Cheryl Cook
National Farmers Union
600 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, DC20024
Deborah Weiner
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
1755 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20036
Paul Hazen
National Cooperative Business Association
1401 New York Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20005
Polly Hoppin
World Wildlife Fund
1250 24th Street, NW Washington, DC 20037
Organic Working Group (Melanie Adcock and I organized this initiative in 1994 to try to keep consumer, environmental, animal protection, and other D.C.-based groups informed about, and involved in, the work of the National Organic Standards Board. We organized several meetings and a sign-on letter to members of Congress opposing any proposed changes to the Organic Foods Production Act in the 1995 farm bill. This group did not have members as such but we maintained a mailing list of 35 that received meeting notices and information).
Those on the mailing list were Jim Adriance, Nancy Alexander, Stephan Bell, Charles Benbrook, Lester Brown, Andy Clark, Ken Cook, Jim Delaney, Caroline Smith DeWaal, Joan Dine, Paul Faeth, Jay Feldman, Bob Gray, Don Gray, Lorette Picciano-Hanson, Maureen Hinkle, Ferd Hoefner, Polly Hoppin, Charles Kauffman, Mimi Kleiner, Rod Leonard, Robin Marks, Mardi Mellon, Joe Mendelson, Kathleen Merrigan, Kathy Ozer, Diane Post, Jac Smit, Jennifer Snoddy, Tim Warman, Monte Wynn, and Al Zepp.
Any on these lists also participated in the monthly brown bag lunches organized in the l994-97 period by Kathy Ozer and Melanie Adcock. These focused initially on the 1995 farm bill and later on its implementation.
Organic Committee, National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture. This initiative, chaired by Michael Sligh and Elizabeth Henderson, is the main nonprofit organic group at this time. It grew out of the large national meeting that met in February of 1998 to mobilize opposition to the first proposed rule. It monitors the activities of the NOSB and the NOP and organizes sign-on letters and other activities. The steering committee, which has held many conference calls since, is composed of Michael Sligh, Elizabeth Henderson, Melanie Adcock, Mardi Mellon, Joe Mendelson, Mark Lipson, and Roger Blobaum. It is staffed by Liana Hoodes of the Campaign staff.
D.C.-based members listed on the latest roster include Roger Blobaum, Linda Elswick, Jay Feldman, Andy Kimbrell, Mardi Mellon, Joe Mendelson, Martha Noble, Kathy Ozer, Aleen Rothschild Seidel, Lorette Picciano, and Tom Forester.
This should get you started, George. I can help as needed trying to provide mailing addresses that are current. Liana Hoodes maintains the most recent list of organized organic advocates in the nonprofit sector.