Giles, yes, I skipped right past that. I thought it was similar to the
American Dental Association's dental council which approves dental therapeutics
but does not receive any renumeration for their endorsement. (ie the ADA has a
seal of approval on Crest, but receives no payment for that seal. They may
receive money from Crest for other stuff, but not for the seal.) In re-reading
the article I see that the AOS has ventured down a slippery slope, selling a
product they also endorse instead of standing apart from any filthy lucre, *G*.
This makes me wonder if there's committee for product endorsement? Who is on
the committee and what is their policy on endorsements.
That said, the AOS has had various partnerships in the past. For example Sun
Bulb used to place AOS culture notes on the plants they'd then wholesale to
large box stores. I do not recollect that the AOS got any $$ for the tag but
their web address offered further information to the customer. And Sun Bulb
offered a customer service by giving *some* sort of culture advice to their
customers who buy orchids at large box stores. So it was a win/win situation.
(.... at least I *think* it was SunBulb....) Anyway, one of the large
wholesalers did that...maybe it was Kerry's Bromelaids...
My point was that many organizations endorse products, Good Housekeeping, etc,
but monetary gain by said endorsement is, IMHO, an ethical no-no. I wonder if
that may not be a violation of the 501(c)3 status......hmmm, that would depend
on how the contract was written... after all God is in the details.
Too many musings from me. *G*!
K Barrett
N Calif, USA
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