BERKELEY, CA.,- March 13, 2007 "“ Sustainable Ventures (SV) catalyzes opportunities for people to create a sustainable future by using their purchasing power. In order to inform and engage the marketplace, SV and the Our Daily Bread Leadership Team are seeking Market Leaders from media, marketing, research, academia, government, agriculture, sustainability advocacy, business, and finance to participate in Phase Two of the "Our Daily Bread" (ODB) Prize Program. The initiative has been designed to uncover the integrated environmental, social, and financial (ESF) "true costs" of products and services. Phase One of the program was completed in October, 2006.

In Phase Two of the current Prize Program, SV seeks to further develop the inquiry based on rigorously researched findings from Phase One. Market Leaders will participate in two Implementation Fora where they will work together, address unresolved areas of inquiry, and develop strategies to communicate integrated "true cost" Best Practices to the marketplace.

• Implementation Forum 1 will be held in collaboration with the 2nd Environmental Studies Summit at SUNY in Syracuse, New York, on June 8-9, 2007. In a featured session at the Summit, the 2006 Prize Finalist Panel will present a summary of the first ODB Prize findings and discuss outstanding issues. Building on that dialogue, Market Leaders then will consider each sector's position by evaluating results from an initial survey of integrated ESF Best Practices. Participants will use unsubstantiated areas of inquiry and outstanding questions as the basis to frame the Calls for Papers for the second ODB Prize(s).

• Implementation Forum 2 will be convened in June, 2008, when Sector Leaders review the findings of the 2007-08 ODB Prize and the results from a more robust survey of integrated ESF Best Practices. Market Leaders will use the research to design strategy and craft messages to communicate integrated environmental, social, and financial "true cost" Best Practices to the marketplace.

For those Market Leaders not able to participate in Fora activities, SV welcomes: 1) referrals to other potential participants; 2) financial sponsorship of the ODB Prize Program; 3) referrals of related materials that might contribute to the ODB Prize Program’s Sustainable Knowledge Base "“ an online, accessible resource on SV's web site; and 4) participation in a survey to determine each of the nine sectors’ existing integrated environmental, social and financial Best Practices.

Sustainable Ventures invites people to apply as Market Sector Leaders and/or refer other leaders they know. Please review SV’s website for more information and click on "How to apply or refer an associate" at: http://www.sustainableventures.us/prize/overview.html.

About Sustainable Ventures

Sustainable Ventures is a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring and educating beneficial owners "“ the people who have pension and trust funds invested in their names "“ to take an active role in the management of their investments. The outcomes of the "Our Daily Bread" Prize Program will enable beneficial owners "“ as well as the general public "“ to have more influence in their financial affairs through their purchasing power. Beneficial owners can then enroll their fund managers to use integrated performance as the selection criteria for funds invested in their names to achieve an integrated "triple bottom line."

Vital Systems

Vital Systems

The mission of Vital Systems is to grow collective knowledge related to the central, transformative issue of food and farming to catalyze the transition to a sustainable system that assures the availability of affordable and nutritious food. Our focus is to develop actionable information, based on rigorous and comprehensive true-cost pricing and accounting produced in clear, current, and accessible forms that can be communicated to a broad and diverse audience. By reforming food and farming practices, we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, secure our food sources, change our eating habits (for both personal and planetary health), halt the extinction of many of the world's species, and grow economic justice through the visions, strategies, life goals, tools, and rewards we craft to communicate our new world story.

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