Lucas Benitez, Greg Asbed of CIW accept award in ceremony at San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts
From the NRDC press release announcing this year’s winners of the Going Green Awards:
| “… CIW is creating today’s blueprint for farmworker justice by spearheading historic fair food agreements with groundbreaking farm labor standards, fair farmworker wages and labor rights education through their Fair Food Program, which is now implemented on over 90 percent Florida’s tomato farms. Today, ten multi-billion dollar national companies have signed on to CIW’s Fair Food Program and CIW continues to forge critical alliances among tomato growers, workers, food retailers and the community. |
‘Social accountability in our food system starts by truly valuing those workers whose backbreaking labor puts food on our tables every day,’ said CIW’s co-founders. ‘At CIW, we fight to advance human rights in the fields, and we applaud NRDC for recognizing that a sustainable food system must include fair wages and working conditions for farmworkers.’” read more
We will have more from last night’s ceremony soon, including photos and the text of the CIW’s remarks, but for now we have a video (above) produced by NRDC with a short profile of all of the 2012 Going Green Award winners, and a few links (below) for some context on the awards. Be sure to check back soon for a complete update!
- “Sowing Justice in the Florida Tomato Fields,” Barry Estabrook, 5/16/12, onearth.org
- “Field Notes on Food Justice: Why Your Local Grocery Store Makes Farmworkers Poor,” Greg Asbed, Lucas Benitez, 5/16/12, onearth.org
- “Growing Green Awards: Winners Produce Food that Nourishes People and the Planet,” 5/16/12, Frances Beinecke, switchboard.nrdc.org
- “Coalition of Immokalee Workers gets award for work in realm of ‘food justice’,” 5/16/12, Ft. Myers News Press
The CIW is humbled to have been chosen for this tremendous honor and looks forward to working more closely with the NRDC in the future in building a food industry — healthy, sustainable, and fair — for the 21st century.