The paper and timber industry's green certification for wood and paper products, SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative) is about to qualify as an accepted certification under LEED which has become the standard for green building certification. But SFI's lack of credibility and loose guidelines make it anything but green or sustainable.The paper and timber industry's green certification for wood and paper products, SFI... more
Sears Holding Company, most known for their ubiquitous catalogues, continues to stall on crafting a more environmental paper policy, according to the nonprofit environmental organization ForestEthics. Sears’ long delay to implement a more forest-friendly policy is adding pressure to already threatened caribou populations and deforesting forests in Canada, where the company sources much of its paper.
"Sears has been made fully aware of the costs of stalling on a strong environmental paper policy," said Ginger Cassady of ForestEthics. "It’s hard not to conclude that they place a lower priority than their competitors on the welfare of caribou and Endangered Forests. Their fellow Chicago company, Crate & Barrel, for example, cleared this hurdle two years ago."
ForestEthics has negotiated with Sears for over two years to come up with a better paper policy, but the company continues to stall.
Currently, 425 million Sears and Lands End catalogues are sent to Americans every year, a number that eclipses the population of the entire United States by more than 100 million. According to ForestEthics, Sears Company was one of the pioneers of the junk mail industry.
As well as containing a large number of threatened species, including the caribou, the boreal forests act as a massive carbon sink.
"Crate & Barrel implemented a strong paper procurement policy that gives preference to FSC, increases its use of recycled fiber, sources no paper from Endangered Forests and reduces paper use overall," Cassady says. "ForestEthics is asking Sears to do the same."
In addition to pressuring companies to change the ways they use forests products like paper, ForestEthics also runs a Do Not Mail campaign that seeks to establish a national Do Not Mail Registry, so Americans can opt out of receiving destructive junk mail.Sears Holding Company, most known for their ubiquitous catalogues, continues to stall... more
Illegal logging is a threat to the rainforests of Peru. But the indigenous communities are using both ancient knowledge and modern technology to protect biodiversity and stop further destruction.
The lush green of the rain forest offers rich natural resources which the Ashaninka Indians have lived on for centuries. At the Yoreka Atame school of primeval forestry in Brazil, young indigenous and non-indigenous people have been learning how to make use of them in a sustainable way.
Since 2007, the school has taught more than 2,000 participants skills like the cultivating fruit trees, keeping bees, and erecting dams in creeks and lakes to enhance spawning grounds for fish.
"That's how we Ashaninka Indians here in the border region between Brazil and Peru want to pass on our traditional knowledge," said Moises Piyako. He cofounded the Yoreka Atame school together with his brother Benki in 2007.
Political problems between Brazil and its neighbor Peru make life complicated for the indigenous people in the border region.
"We are suffering from Peruvian logging companies, and now the Peruvian government also wants to dig for oil along the border," said Moises Piyako.
Illegal timber-fellers from Peru are increasingly encroaching on the rainforest on both sides of the border.
The land and its resources belong to the Ashaninka, according to the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention 169 adopted by the International Labour Organisation, ILO. It recognizes the rights of ownership of the peoples over the lands which they traditionally occupy. But Peru has been trying to circumnavigate international law by granting mining concessions for areas that are owned by indigenous peoples.
"In the process, Peruvian timber companies even illegally enter Brazilian territory," said Ashaninka spokesman Benki Piyako. "Illegal logging is putting our whole region and its biodiversity at risk." (more at link)
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So, to protect their land, they use GPS technology, vlogging, monitoring, satellite photos to show the deforestation, etc. They even sell CO2 certificates.Illegal logging is a threat to the rainforests of Peru. But the indigenous communities... more
Scientists have rubbished logging industry claims that deforestation in the Amazon brings long-term economic benefits to local communities.
Impoverished Brazilian communities living within the rainforest have long been said to gain from logging with increased life-expectancy, income and literacy rates.
But a study of 286 Amazon communities by Cambridge University and Imperial College London found the wealth is short-lived because development plummets when the loggers move on.
As a result deforestation is not just damaging for the climate, but also for humans, causing a ‘boom and bust’ cycle of misery.
Each year an area of rainforest eight times the sizes of Wales – 69,500 square miles – is cut down for timber, burned, or cleared for agricultural use.
The deforestation frontier advances by a staggering rate of more than four football fields every minute.
Much of the land cleared was claimed by economic migrants who moved to the area from the south in the 70s and 80s.
When the trees are gone local communities turn to less lucrative cattle grazing and crop growing which swiftly degrades their land.
Comparative quality of life dwindles and land is often abandoned.
Dr Rob Ewers of the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial College London, author of the report, said deforestation in the Amazon causes ‘boom and bust’.
“In areas that are currently being deforested, the process needs to be better managed to ensure that for local people boom isn’t necessarily followed by bust,” he said.
“Because when the trees are gone communities are left with next to nothing. They lose their health care, their education and roads and infrastructure falls into disrepair.
“Timber is highly lucrative whilst cattle grazing is not and crops are only efficient for three to five years.
“Industry and local government heralds the benefits to local communities to justify logging but this simply isn’t the case.”Scientists have rubbished logging industry claims that deforestation in the Amazon... more
2. The Indonesian government has recently announced that peatlands will be opened up for further palm oil expansion. Help make sure that ADM and Cargill don't go along with the government's plans.
3. We need to get as many people as possible to help spread the work about the problem with destroying rainforests for palm oil! Please take a minute and ask your friends and family to join you.
Dozens of people have been killed in clashes between indigenous people and police in Peru.
Dozens of people have been killed in clashes between indigenous people and police in Peru. The Indians have been protesting against laws which will open up communal jungle lands and water resources to oil drilling, logging and mining. Al Jazeera's Teresa Bo reports from Bagua Grande in Peru.Dozens of people have been killed in clashes between indigenous people and police in... more
Consumerism is down in response to the economy, and that is bad for business - but seems to be great for Mother Earth. Trash output is down and now the California Redwoods have been given another rest - people just aren't buying wood to build houses right now. This video is an interesting peek into the rise and decline of a hopefully dying industry - Logging.
I live in California and I hike in the Redwoods almost everyday. There is something so beautiful and majestic about these trees, make it a point to see these forests at some point if you haven't! :)Consumerism is down in response to the economy, and that is bad for business - but... more
Running diesel engines on grease isn't anything new, but for those interested, there's a doc that's on the Web that goes into more than just how to convert your car. It takes a look at everything from where and how to top up, to where to get the best grease.
There are several places where people state the obvious and get mildly preachy--including pro forma railing against tyrannical corporate and US policy (complete with a Nazi comparison)--but there are plenty of interesting bits like the complications in terms of standardizing things so the idea takes off in a bigger way. And who knew Morgan Freeman was in the grease biz?
"Greasy Rider" is one of a few films that Cinematic Rights Media, digital film sales reps, are giving Online premieres this Earth Day. I haven't seen the rest but others include "The Green Chain" (Dailymotion, Hulu and YouTube) which is about the battle over logging, "The Unforseen" (a Robert Redford-produced film on iTunes and Amazon VOD) about a community vs. developer preservation fight in Austin, "Blind Spot" (SnagFilms, Dailymotion and Joost) which focuses on the oil and energy crisis, and "Garbage! The Revolution Starts at Home" (Amazon VOD).
Some are free, others will cost you, but they're out there and eco-friendly...you don't have to drive anywhere to take a look.Running diesel engines on grease isn't anything new, but for those interested, there's... more
PHOTO: Playmates 'June' and 'Junior'. They are rescued infant orang-utans being care for at "The Infant Care Unit for Orang-utans in Bukit Merah". The non-profit rescue facility is the only one of it's kind. Please note, the missing hair covering the bodies due to burns. June was found still clinging to her burned (and deceased) mother.
A team surveying forests nestled on the eastern edge of Borneo island counted 219 orangutan nests giving a rare boost to one of the world's most endangered great apes.
Experts say at the current rate of habitat destruction, the animals could be wiped out within the next two decades.
The countries are the world's top producers of palm oil, used in food, cosmetics and to meet growing demands for "clean-burning" fuels in the U.S. and Europe. Rain forests, where the solitary animals spend almost all of their time, have been clear-cut and burned at alarming rates to make way for lucrative palm oil plantations.
The steep topography, poor soil and general inaccessibility of the rugged limestone mountains appear to have shielded the area from development, at least for now, said Meijaard. Its trees include those highly sought after for commercial timber.
Birute Mary Galdikas, a Canadian scientist who has spent nearly four decades studying orangutans in the wild, said most of the remaining populations are small and scattered, which make them especially vulnerable to extinction.
"So yes, finding a population that science did not know about is significant, especially one of this size," she said, noting that those found on the eastern part of the island represent a rare subspecies, the black Borneon orangutan, or Pongo pygmaeus morio.
The 700-square mile (2,500-square kilometer) jungle escaped the massive fires that devastated almost all of the surrounding forests in the late 1990s. The blazes were set by plantation owners and small-scale farmers and exacerbated by the El Nino droughts.PHOTO: Playmates 'June' and 'Junior'. They are rescued infant orang-utans being care... more
A natural follow up to our "Look inside an Oregon Sawmill" video. Ron Hanks showed us around his sawmill that is still operating from the 1930's. From there his rough cuts travel on to a myrtle wood shop in Gold Beach, Oregon. In this video Greg John shows how these giant slabs turn (no pun intended) into works of art that grace the coffee and dinner tables of homes across America... and the world. Myrtle wood, aka California Bay Laurel, is found in the Coastal regions of the Pacific Northwest.A natural follow up to our "Look inside an Oregon Sawmill" video. Ron Hanks showed us... more
Have you ever thought about where that beautiful bowl on your coffee table came from? Ron Hanks is a third generation Mill worker and logger in southern Oregon. He specializes in Myrtle wood, a tree found along the coastal regions of the pacific northwest.Have you ever thought about where that beautiful bowl on your coffee table came from?... more
The majestic forests are vanishing in smoke and sawdust, but there's still hope for the island's fabled biodiversity—if the palm oil rush can be slowed.The majestic forests are vanishing in smoke and sawdust, but there's still hope for... more
Canadian government plays divide and conquer with Algonquin indigenous people over logging.
The indigenous Algonquin community of Barriere Lake has been fighting with the provincial government of Quebec and the federal government of Canada for nearly twenty years over their land. Blockades they have set up in the late 1980s stopped illegal logging on their land and led them to sign a Trilateral Agreement with the two governments. Today, the community claims the agreement and all others that followed have not been honored, while logging companies plan to resume operations. In an effort to exert pressure on the government and the logging industry, the community has set up several blockades in protest. In response, the community’s spokespeople and leaders have been arrested. Benjamin Nottoway, Barriere Lake’s customary chief has been arrested at the last blockade and sentenced to two months in jail.
In Brazil logging license are issued through websites. Over 100 logging companies commissioned hackers to break into the government's website to falsify records to allow for more permits to be issued.In Brazil logging license are issued through websites. Over 100 logging companies... more
The crazy idea of selling billions of gallons of water in everlasting plastic bottles to people who already have access to clean water sources is turning our planet into a gigantic garbage heap. Finally, somebody is doing something about that. Brandimage created the 360 Bottle made of paper, which is 100% renewable.
Nice. It's apparently an impossible task to convince a sizable portion of our population that there's no need to clutch a bottle of water like a baby with a pacifier all day long. So, might as well limit the amount of harm done. These paper bottles are good for just about any liquid, too — not just water.
If this idea can even make a dent in the 60 million plastic bottles tossed each day in the U.S., Brandimage deserves an award. Wait. The company received an IDEA (International Design Excellence Award) for this design. Bravo. Now if they could just get those silver-tongued water hucksters and bottle-sucking sheep to buy into it.Cut from the webpage:
The crazy idea of selling billions of gallons of water in... more
The Raramuri--also called Tarahumara by outsiders--are some of the last people in North America who continue to live a traditional, subsistence way of life.The Raramuri decided to fight for their ancestral lands. With the help of the Sierra Madre Alliance, a nonprofit focused on defending Raramuri lands and rights, the Raramuri filed a lawsuit last year, which temporarily suspended the logging at Choreachi. The odds are stacked against them.
Yet one thing is clear: the Raramuri know how to endure.The Raramuri--also called Tarahumara by outsiders--are some of the last people in... more
How safe is protected land and are logging, oil, and mining companies using our national parks for profit?
A land trust is a purchase of a large piece of real estate that in theory, remains protected from development. But it’s known that some of the biggest corporations and investment groups use the land for profit through logging, drilling, and mining.
Dan Tishman, Chairman of the Board for the Natural Resource Defense Council.
One has to define what logging is. There is good logging and there is bad logging. You can’t just tie up land as an eleemosynary thing forever. You have to understand that land is a valuable asset, it’s valuable for a whole host of reasons. And if in order to preserve land you need to figure out how to have some economic stream to preserve land, good sustainable certified logging practices might be the right sense.
One thing we can trust regarding our land is that not everyone has it’s best interests in mind regardless of what they say.
For more on American land trusts, visit some of the following links:
WorldLandTrust-US.org
PlacerLandTrust.org
Creating Your Own Land Trust (Possibility.com)
Photo by Куртис Перри
Click the link for more of our exclusive conversation with Dan Tishman, Chairman of the Board of the NRDC.How safe is protected land and are logging, oil, and mining companies using our... more
Maverick conservationist, Richard Leakey, writes that "commercial bushmeat hunting has become the most significant immediate threat to the future of wildlife in Africa and around the world" in an article on Wildlife Direct. Founded by Leakey, Wildlife Direct is a nonprofit allowing researchers and wildlife organizations in Africa and Asia to connect directly with supporters through blogs.
A paper recently released by the Centre of International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biodiversity (CDB) argued that legalizing bushmeat trade is the only way to ensure species survival and provide protein needs to impoverished people. Leakey disagrees: "legalizing this multi-billion trade will not help the wildlife. It will instead exterminate what remains, species that we are working so hard to preserve." Leakey has spent two decades working to conserve wildlife in his native Kenya.
Comparing legalizing the bushmeat trade to legalizing drugs, Leakey writes that there are other ways in which to provide poor communities with protein. "Why don't people encourage the rearing of chickens, fish or cane rats to alleviate their protein deficiency? This will bring development and a better and healthier existence."
According to Leakey a number of species that have experienced local extinctions or drastic declines due to the bushmeat trade in Africa, including elephants, chimpanzees, gorillas, pangolins, bush pigs, duikers, and monitor lizards. Numerous primate species are especially susceptible. The bushmeat trade is also a threat to many species in Asia.
Richard Leakey, son of famed anthropologist Louis Leakey, is known for his bold conservation views and his long career in politics, anthropology, and conservation in Kenya. Maverick conservationist, Richard Leakey, writes that "commercial bushmeat hunting has... more
About half of the world's frog and amphibian species are threatened with extinction. In an effort to raise public awareness, 2008 has been named the year of the frog by Amphibian Ark. Various zoos, aquariums, and conservation organizations have joined the effort, along with several celebrity conservation biologists, including Sir David Attenborough, Jeff Corwin, and Jean-Michel Cousteau. Their goal is to engage the public, create partnerships, and generate financial support for projects aimed at better understanding and conservation of amphibians.
Frogs, in particular, suffer from multiple problems, including habitat loss, water pollution, climate change, and chytridiomycosis, a skin infection caused by a fungus. Scientists discovered this organism on frog skin about ten years ago. The first studies found the infection only in parts of the U.S. and Australia. Since then, the disease has been diagnosed in frogs worldwide and implicated in the decline or extinction, dating back to the mid-70s, of several frog species. Initially, the fungus was thought to be a secondary invader, a problem only in frogs whose health was compromised by other variables, such as environmental degradation and global warming.
Scientists have recently changed their thinking. The species of frogs declining most rapidly--those living at higher elevations in the tropics of South America--have not experienced rapid changes in their environment, nor have toxins or pollutants been identified that would explain the pattern. Chytrid infection has been found in nearly every case of frog decline, however. The fungus has been found in South African frogs (where, however, it does not cause disease). Humans have apparently caused its spread around the world, primarily via the movement of wildlife, but potentially also on our shoes or in contaminated water, with devastating effects. About half of the world's frog and amphibian species are threatened with extinction.... more
