Washington - Part 2

Posts Tagged ‘Washington’

Agriculture Officials in Washington to Promote Massachusetts Food Businesses

Posted by admin on July 14th, 2011

Agriculture Officials in Washington to Promote Massachusetts Food Businesses

Boston – Thursday, July 14, 2011 – State agriculture officials attended a food trade show in Washington, D.C., from Sunday, July 10 through Tuesday, July 12, 2011, which attracted close to 24,000 attendees — including buyers from 11 countries — included a Massachusetts Pavilion that featured 22 Commonwealth-based specialty food businesses, according to the Department of Agricultural Resources (DAR), which coordinated the pavilion as part of its ongoing support for Massachusetts’ specialty food sector.

The Massachusetts Pavilion was part of the “Avenue of State Pavilions” at the 2011 Summer Fancy Food Show, a premier marketplace for value-added foods that included 2,400 exhibitors. Value added products are foods and beverages that through production have enhanced value for the consumer – for example, tomatoes to salsa, goat milk to goat cheese, or strawberries to preserves and pies. Many small to medium sized businesses developed sales from the mostly independent retail buyers in attendance. In addition to the companies participating in the Massachusetts Pavilion, there were approximately 35 additional exhibitors from the Commonwealth spread throughout the show.

“As the state competes for market share in an extremely competitive environment, diversification and differentiation have been key success factors for Massachusetts farm and food entrepreneurs,” said DAR Commissioner Soares, who represented the Massachusetts Pavilion at the show, and is president of Food Export USA Northeast, an organization representing ten Northeast states to promote export development with funding from the US Department of Agriculture.

With the assistance from DAR officials, exhibitors also met with buyers from 11 countries. Brazil, Canada, Chile, El Salvador, France, Hong Kong, Philippines, Qatar, Singapore, Taiwan and the UK will have buyers in attendance.

The following businesses participated in the Massachusetts Pavilion:

Bittersweet Herb Farm, Shelburne

www.bittersweetherbfarm.com

Seasonings, jams, oils, and sauces – redefining dining since 1983

Bonnie’s Jam, Cambridge

www.bonniesjams.com

All natural jams, remembering the taste of fruit

Deborah’s Kitchen, Littleton

www.deborahskitchen.com

Award winning all natural, low sugar spreadable fruit and relish

Cains Foods, Ayer

www.cainsfoods.com

High quality mayonnaise and salad dressings and salad dressings

Cape Cod Provisions, Pocasset

www.capecodprovisions.com

Chocolate covered cranberry specialties

Coastal Goods, Cape Cod

www.coastalgoods.com

Salts and spices from all around the world

Dresden Stollen, North Grafton

www.dimitriadelights.com

Superior frozen layer dough and bakery products

Effies, Hyde Park

www.effieshomemade.com

Award winning Oatcakes, Corncakes, and Nutcakes

Equal Exchange; West Bridgewater

www.equalexchange.coop

Fair trade coffee, chocolate and fruits

Glutinus Minimum, Belmont

www.glutenusminimus.com

Gourmet gluten-free foods

Kettle Cuisine, Chelsea

www.kettlecuisine.com

Refrigerated gourmet soups

Lark Fine Foods, Gloucester,

www.larkfinefoods.com

Award winning specialty cookies

Mini Pops, Stoughton
www.myminipops.com

Air popped sorghum grain

Myron’s Fine Foods, Millers Falls

www.chefmyrons.com

Fine cooking sauces

Nantucket Pasta Goddess, Nantucket

www.nantucketpastagoddess.com

Fresh gluten free pasta and sauces

New England Natural Bakers, Greenfield

www.newenglandnaturalbakers.com/

Granola and trail mix since 1977

Panapesca, Pembroke

www.panapesca.com

Seafood meals for foodservice

Philip ‘R’s Frozen Desserts, Winchester

www.icecream-desserts.com

Frozen novelties and desserts for retail and foodservice

Powell and Mahoney, Beverly

www.PowellandMahoney.com

Cocktail mixers

Root Cellars, Wellesley

www.rootcellarpreserves.com

Simply great pickles

Sauces ‘n Love, Lynn

www.saucesnlove.com

Fresh and natural homemade sauces, pesto, bruschetta, spreads and dips

Tortured Orchard, North Egremont

http://torturedorchard.com

Specialty sauces – a spirited rebellion of flavors

DAR works to promote growers adding value to their product as well as supporting food entrepreneurs through the state’s shared use kitchens in Boston, Greenfield and Dartmouth, as well as referrals to the state Department of Public Heath regarding regulatory issues and the Small Business Development center network for business assistance. Currently, the Department is updating its Food Processors Resource Manual. For more information, contact [email protected].

DAR’s mission is to ensure the long-term viability of agriculture in Massachusetts. Through its four divisions – Agricultural Conservation & Technical Assistance, Agricultural Markets, Animal Health, and Crop and Pest Services – DAR strives to support, regulate and enhance the rich diversity of the Commonwealth’s agricultural community to promote economically and environmentally sound food safety and animal health measures, and fulfill agriculture’s role in energy conservation and production. For more information, visit DAR’s website at www.mass.gov/agr, and/or follow at twitter.com/agcommishsoares

News & Updates, Energy and Environmental Affairs, Commonwealth of Massachusetts

EPA awards nearly $600,000 to cleanup and revitalize two Washington communities (WA)

Posted by admin on June 12th, 2011

Release date: 06/10/2011

Contact Information: Mark MacIntyre, EPA Public Affairs, 206-553-7302; City of Ellensburg Department of Community Development, 509-962-7231

(Seattle, Wash. – June 9, 2011) – EPA is providing nearly $ 600,000 in Brownfields grants that will help two Washington communities to assess, cleanup and redevelop abandoned or contaminated properties. The funding is part of more than $ 76 million in EPA brownfields investments across the country announced this week by EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to protect health and the environment, create jobs and promote economic re-development in American communities.

The City of Ellensburg has been selected for two brownfields assessment grants for a total of $ 400,000. Community-wide hazardous substances grant funds will be used to identify brownfield sites and conduct 10 Phase I and four Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to conduct community outreach activities. Petroleum grant funds will be used to conduct the same tasks at sites with potential petroleum contamination.

The Colville Confederate Tribes have been selected to receive $ 196,720 for hazardous substances brownfields cleanup grant. Hazardous substances grant funds will be used to clean up the Old Nespelem Post & Pole at the Colville Confederated Tribes Fish & Wildlife site (68 Schoolhouse Road, Nespelem, WA).

EPA’s “Brownfields” program works with tribal, state and local governments to provide local communities the tools they need to assess and clean up abandoned industrial and commercial properties.

“There are few better investments in community development here in the Northwest and Alaska,” said Dennis McLerran, EPA Regional Administrator in Seattle. “By creating local brownfields assessment and redevelopment partnerships, many communities have demonstrated dramatic success by delivering good-paying jobs, boosting local economies and protecting public health.”

More information:

Read the fact sheet for the City of Ellensburg’s grant

Read the fact sheet for the Colville Confederated Tribe’s grant

EPA’s national news release: EPA Administrator Announces $ 76 Million to Clean Up Contaminated Sites and Revitalize Communities

EPA’s brownfields program: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/

U.S. EPA News

Center for Urban Waters brings new research to Tacoma

Posted by admin on March 29th, 2010

TACOMA, WASH. –– Moving-in day for the new Center for Urban Waters building is still a few months away. But while the building has been under construction on the Thea Foss Waterway since last May, Joel Baker, the center’s science director, has been getting ready to make good use of it.

Two research initiatives, the Puget Sound Institute and the Storm Water Technical Resource Center, which will be housed at the Center for Urban Waters, are gearing up for action.

Puget Sound Institute

The Puget Sound Institute brings together scientists, engineers and policy makers charged with restoring and protecting Puget Sound, said Baker, a UW Tacoma professor and holder of the Port of Tacoma Chair. Among other activities, the institute will convene panels of experts to address difficult issues faced in restoring and protecting Puget Sound.

One key activity will be to gather leading authorities from diverse fields to conduct commissioned reviews and evaluations, providing credible, consensus-based information to the Legislature, government agencies and other interested groups.

The institute will also form working groups to bring together best-available science research and look for opportunities for progress on environmental issues.

The Puget Sound Institute is a collaboration between the Center for Urban Waters, the Puget Sound Partnership and the UW College of the Environment. Funding for the institute comes from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Storm Water Technical Resource Center

Urban storm water run-off causes contaminants and topsoil to be washed into Puget Sound. Builders of new construction and renovation projects must obtain permits detailing how they will deal with storm water run-off, such as including retention ponds and water treatments into their plans. And soon the state of Washington will require local governments to further toughen regulatory standards for storm water abatement.

Last year the state Legislature created the Storm Water Technical Resource Center and funded it with a $1 million Washington Department of Ecology grant to the city of Puyallup, the University of Washington Tacoma and the Washington State University Puyallup Research and Extension Center. Co-housed at the Center for Urban Waters and the WSU Puyallup Research and Extension Center, the new center will help advance storm water efforts on several fronts.

The Storm Water Technical Resource Center is charged with:

reviewing and evaluating new storm water technologies
researching and developing cost-effective technical solutions
testing technical solutions
gathering and sharing information
assisting in the development of storm water control methods
coordinating with federal, state and local agencies and private organizations.

New ideas for treating and dealing with storm water must be certified by the state before they can be used. One of the center’s jobs will be to check into these new technologies and see how well they work, then make recommendations to the Department of Ecology about whether to certify them.

“This is an economic development opportunity,” Baker said. “Right now, many existing technologies for storm water run-off treatment are owned by out-of-state companies. By certifying emerging technologies that meet Washington’s very rigorous standards, we’ll invite in-state companies to work on new ideas and encourage outside companies to move here.”

National Briefing | Washington: Protection Denied for the Pika

Posted by admin on February 21st, 2010

Federal officials have decided not to provide endangered species protections to the American pika, an animal thought to be struggling because of climate change.