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FROM THE EDITOR KITCHENWARE NEWS & HOUSEWARES REVIEW n SEPTEMBER 2017 n www.kitchenwarenews.com Periodicals postage paid at Tucson, AZ and additional mail- ing office. Kitchenware News & Housewares Review (USPS012-625) is published 12 times per year (Jan., Feb., March, April, May, June, July, Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., and Dec.) by Oser Communications Group, 1877 N. Kolb Road, Tucson, AZ, 85715 520.721.1300. Publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material or prices quoted in newspaper. Contributors are responsi- ble for proper release of proprietary classified information. ©2017 by Oser Communications Group. All rightsreserved Reproduction, in whole or in part, without written permis- sion of the publisher, is expressly prohibited. Back issues, when available, cost $8 each within the past 12 months. Back issue orders must be paid in advance by check. Kitchenware News & Housewares Review is distributed without charge in North America to qualified professionals in the retail and distribution channels of the upscale kitchenware and tabletop trade. For subscriber services, in- cluding subscription information, call 520.721.1300. Printed in the USA. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Kitchenware News & Housewares Review, 1877 N. Kolb Road, Tucson, AZ 85715. PUBLISHER Kim Oser SR. ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Jules Denton jules_d@oser.com EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Lorrie Baumann lorrie_b@oser.com EDITOR Micah Cheek micah_c@oser.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Greg Gonzales greg_g@oser.com ART DIRECTOR Yasmine Brown GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Jonathan Schieffer CUSTOMER SERVICE Caitlyn McGrath MANAGERS caitlyn_m@oser.com Sarah Glenn sarah_g@oser.com CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Tara Neal CIRCULATION MANAGER Jamie Green jamie_g@oser.com Kitchenware News & Housewares Review is a publication of Oser Communications Group Inc. 1877 N. Kolb Road • Tucson, AZ 85715 520.721.1300 www.kitchenwarenews.com www.oser.com FOUNDER Lee M. Oser OSER COMMUNICATIONS GROUP H o u s e w a r e s R e v i e w KITCHENWARE NEWS S E R V I N G K I T C H E N WA R E, H O M E D E C O R A N D G I F T WA R E M A R K E T S editor from the In this month's issues of both Kitchenware News and Gourmet News, you can read stories about how those who produce food for our tables are acting to reverse the causes of global warming. There is no debate about whether our planet is warming, and there's also no real debate about whether human activity is contributing to that. We're not creating the weather, and we're not altogether responsible for what's happening to our climate, but there is no question that we are responsible for some of what's happening to our planet as a result of the accumulation of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. The good news is that the part that we're responsible for is the part we can change. No one's in a better position to help with global warming, which is becoming a crisis, than our nation's farmers. "Farming is unique among other sectors of the economy because it has the potential to not only reduce ongoing emissions, but also to reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses [sic] already present in the atmosphere," wrote Roger Johnson, President of the National Farmers Union in an August 10, 2017, open letter to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. He also noted that climate change is already undermining the livelihoods of American family farmers as well as global food security. While climate change can often be a tough issue to broach in many communities, there is little doubt that farmers and ranchers want to do the right thing and leave the land in a better state than they found it," Johnson continued as he asked Perdue to lead the USDA in its commitment to efforts to help farmers and ranchers participate in climate change mitigation. This is, of course, not an effort that we can just leave in the hands of our farmers and ranchers, depending on them to do all the heavy lifting on climate change. There are a variety of things that we can all do in our own homes, and one of the most important is to minimize the amount of food that we waste. Another is to do what we can to recognize and support the farmers and ranchers who are producing food that's healthy for the Earth as well as nourishing for us. Keep an eye out for products labeled with the Savory Institute's new Land to Market seal, which will begin rolling out in the fourth quarter of this year. That seal will identify products, f rom leather to cotton fabrics to food, that are grown in ways that respect the health of the soils and the diversity of the plant and animal communities – including human beings – that depend on them. It's a literal grassroots movement. The Land to Market seal won't say anything about the quality of the products themselves – it won't tell you if a jam's going to taste good or a leather sofa is going to wear well – but it will tell you that the farmer behind the product is taking positive steps toward healing a landscape and conserving the plants and animals that rely on it. This is also not like the USDA Organic certification, in that it's not about a prescription for specific practices that can and can't be applied to the land. Instead, this looks at outcomes – whether the soil is getting better at holding water, whether the biological diversity of the landscape is increasing, whether the land is becoming more productive and less of a desert. Pursuing these goals together makes all of us partners in good stewardship of the Earth that was given to us. It's ours to make the best of it. KN Lorrie Baumann, Editorial Director 4

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