NEW YORK - The Rainforest Alliance hosts a gathering of leaders in the sustainable certification movement from around the world in New York today, after a remarkable year in which green stocks outperformed non-green competitors and certified sustainable production of coffee, wood and other commodities grew rapidly.

Convened by the New York-based not-for-profit Rainforest Alliance, a global leader in sustainable certification, 60-80 forward-thinking business leaders are participating in a conference on marketing sustainably-produced goods, followed by a sustainability awards dinner.

Recently, production and availability of coffee, wood and paper, bananas, chocolate and other commodities certified for environmental and social sustainability has increased markedly: The global market for wood certified to meet Forest Stewardship Council criteria is now worth $5 billion, with more than 34 million acres in the Americas, Europe, and Asia FSC certified by the Rainforest Alliance's SmartWood program. Production of Rainforest Alliance Certified sustainable coffee is now 30,000 tons annually. Corporations embracing Rainforest Alliance certification include household name brands: Chiquita, Gibson Guitars, Home Depot, IKEA, Kinko's, Kraft Foods and many others.

Journalists are invited to a media Q&A with leaders of this movement, held at 3pm sharp at the Time Inc. headquarters, 1271 Avenue of the Americas (Between 50th and 51st Streets). They can also attend a cocktail 6:30pm at the Museum of Natural History, part of a sustainability awards dinner hosted by Ted Allen, Bravo's "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" gourmet, and attended by NGO, government and business leaders.

The following guests receiving awards today and participating in the sustainability marketing conference and the awards dinner are available for interviews:

Rainforest Alliance

Rainforest Alliance

The Rainforest Alliance is an international nonprofit organization that works around the world to conserve forests and natural resources while advancing sustainable livelihoods in agriculture, forestry and tourism.

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