[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 65 (Monday, April 23, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S4839]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
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CONGRATULATING DR. HOWARD-YANA SHAPIRO
Mr. BINGAMAN. Madam President, I wish to congratulate Dr.
Howard-Yana Shapiro, who will receive the Organic Leadership Award on
May 7, 2007. The award is bestowed annually by the Organic Trade
Association on individuals who have demonstrated leadership and vision
in furthering the goals of organic agriculture.
Dr. Shapiro has had a very impressive career in organic agriculture,
having been involved with sustainable agricultural and agroforestry
systems, plant genetics, and food production systems for over 35 years.
He is best known as the principal author of ``Gardening for the Future
of the Earth,'' which shows how to ``create natural bounty in your own
backyard and help save the planet one seed at a time.''
During his long and diverse career, Dr. Shapiro has been a community
gardening activist, a university professor for 15 years, twice a
Fulbright Scholar, twice a Ford Foundation Fellow, and winner of the
National Endowment for the Humanities Award. He has worked with
indigenous communities, nongovernmental organizations, governmental
agencies, and private institutions throughout the world, including
Conservation International, World Wildlife Fund, U.S. Department of
Agriculture, U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S. Forest
Service, ICRAF, The World Agroforestry Centre, Smithsonian Tropical
Research Institute, and many other national and regional agricultural
institutions in Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Honduras,
Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Senegal, South Africa, Vietnam, Indonesia,
Papua New Guinea, and Australia.
Most recently, Dr. Shapiro has held a leadership role in Seeds of
Change, the largest certified organic seed company in the country.
Located along the Rio Grande in El Guique, NM, Seeds of Change, a
division of Mars, Incorporated, is a pioneering cultivator of
organically grown seeds for home and market growers, a leader in the
organic foods industry, and a valued resource for organic farmers. Dr.
Shapiro has been dedicated to Seeds of Change since its inception and
was a key figure during the launching of the Seeds of Change 100
percent certified organic food line in the United States, Europe,
Australia, and Japan.
I am proud that New Mexico is home to Seeds of Change and that the
company, and organic agriculture as an industry, has been so well
served by the expertise and vision of Dr. Shapiro throughout its
growth. Again, I congratulate Dr. Howard-Yana Shapiro for receiving the
Organic Trade Association's highest honor. I thank him for his
commitment to furthering organic agriculture around the world, and I
wish him continued success in the years ahead.
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