 |
|
|
SUSTAINABILITY PERSPECTIVES: #2: SaskFlax steps forward This is the second in our series of articles describing the Sustainability Visioning project that SaskFlax is working on.
A longer discussion with Linda Braun, Executive Director of the Saskatchewan Flax Commission provided many of the answers to the initial questions I had. First and foremost, how did SaskFlax come to be involved in this project? Linda told me that as a member of the Natural Fibers for the Green Economy (NAFGEN) steering group, the opportunity arose through Maria Wellisch, Research Advisor for the Sustainable Conversion of Bioresources in the Industrial Innovation Group at Natural Resources Canada (NRC). Maria was looking for a producer group to complete a sustainability-visioning project as part of the Agricultural Bioproducts Innovation (ABIP) Program. Linda, stepped forward and indicated SaskFlax felt strongly enough about sustainability that they would become THE producer group; that the process was important to the future of the flax industry and reflected the on going commitment of SaskFlax toward complete plant utilization. As the story goes in these times, funding cutbacks were forthcoming, but the project continued to move forward, albeit somewhat scaled back. The next task for Linda was to identify and invite stakeholders to participate in the project. In order to keep the national focus, a successful effort was made to select a group of “innovative and forward thinking” people who were willing to provide their perspective on “Sustainability as a Driver for Innovation in the Flax Industry.” A total of 17 stakeholders – including all of the members of the SaskFlax board - would form the core group. We were to begin with individual interviews with a team from The Natural Step Canada who were to facilitate the process. More on them in the next perspective... |
