(Friday, June 9, 2006) — Support for HerbDay from the herbal community is increasing with new sponsors, partners and participants joining their efforts to those of the HerbDay Coalition. And exciting events to celebrate herbs and herbalism are being planned at sites all across America, as reported by people and companies who register at the event's website: www.herbday.org.

Nature’s Resource herbal supplements, sold in food and drug stores nationwide, has become a Sponsor of HerbDay and will promote activities in key cities across the country and assist at the national events planned in Washington.  Several retailers, large and small, will participate as HerbDay hosts, either on HerbDay itself (October 14) or on the days just before and after. Vitamin World will promote and publicize the day at its 480 stores and through its publications. Great Earth Vitamins, based in Ontario, CA, will celebrate herbs at its 150-plus stores and Nature’s Sunshine, based in Provo, UT, will also host HerbDay activities. Students of the Tai Sophia Institute in Columbia, MD, will to set up discovery stations on their campus, with lectures on various herb-related topics.

Three new HerbDay Partners have been named to recognize the outstanding contributions of nonprofit, educational, conservation and environmental organizations that commit to developing HerbDay events. The International Herb Association will promote the event to its members and the general public. The National Nutritional Foods Association (NNFA) has created a HerbDay committee to assist in informing retailers of the event including donating a booth at its national tradeshow in Las Vegas during July. And the U.S. Botanic Garden will host two days of HerbDay events at its facility on the Washington Mall, October 13–14.
 
And another important trade media sponsor has joined others in promoting the event to their readers. Ads and articles will be running in Natural Foods Merchandiser, a publication delivered to natural product retailers by New Hope Natural Media.
 
The entire herbal community is invited to participate actively in HerbDay 2006, either by hosting an event or providing sponsorship in the form of financial support. Now is the time to start developing ideas for local HerbDay activities to ensure that every community celebrates the wonders of herbs. Visit www.herbday.org to review the initial menu of ideas that the HerbDay Coalition has developed, and to register to tell others what you are planning to do to join the herbal celebration. The website will be the primary location to organize and disseminate information about HerbDay activities and resources.
 
HerbDay is a coordinated series of public educational events celebrating the importance of herbs and herbalism through harmonized, independently planned activities that will occur on October 14, 2006, and/or during the days leading up to and following that date. Activities will occur at retail stores, botanical gardens, and parks throughout North America. HerbDay activities will be designed by each hosting venue, which will have broad latitude in selecting its own events, such as lectures and workshops by well-known herbalists; herb walks; in-store cooking demonstrations featuring herbs and spices; seasonal herbal handcrafts; in-store herbal beauty product demonstrations; presentations by herb company representatives; activities with herbal themes for children; etc.
 
Five national nonprofit organizations— American Botanical Council (ABC); American Herbalists Guild (AHG); American Herbal Pharmacopoeia (AHP); American Herbal Products Association (AHPA); and United Plant Savers (UpS) — are working together as the HerbDay Coalition to launch this event.
 
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Contact: Karen Robin, Director of Communications
American Herbal Products Association (one of the HerbDay Coalition member organizations)
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Telephone: (301) 588-1171, x-107
Email: KRobin@ahpa.org