The U.S. Department of Agriculture marked the first National Biobased Products Day by celebrating sustainable initiatives within the federal government.

USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture's Agriculture and Food Research Initiative programs were highlighted, as they fund research advancing climate-smart agriculture and forestry and developing sources of clean energy, biomass systems and high-value biobased products from agricultural feedstocks, according to a March 8 news release. 

“By designating March 8 as National Biobased Products Day, we honor the 20 years of progress the BioPreferred Program has achieved,” USDA Undersecretary Xochiti Small said in the release. “As we look to the future, rural communities are at the forefront of addressing climate change by using biobased innovations to convert feedstocks, such as commodities and agricultural waste, into a multitude of products that will create sustainability, promote job growth and revitalize our rural economies.”

National Biobased Products Day will be a yearly celebration every March 8 that acknowledges the benefits of biobased products while recognizing the Biden-Harris administration's dedication to using federal resources to mitigate the effects of climate change and assist rural communities, the release reported. 

The day aligns with President Joe Biden's Federal Sustainability Plan and Executive Order 14057, which aim to make the federal government carbon-neutral by 2050 and decrease greenhouse gas emissions by 65% by 2030, according to the release.

The USDA's celebration of National Biobased Products Day emphasizes initiatives dedicated to improving sustainability within the federal government, particularly NIFA's Agriculture and Food Research Initiative programs and the Bioproduct Pilot Program. The day recognizes the Biden-Harris administration's pledge to utilize federal resources to fight climate change and its adverse effects on rural communities.