RAN Action News
Inside:
- New Breed of Activism Born in Weyerhaeuser Clearcut
- RAN, Home Depot, and Lowe's assist in Declaring Ramin Endangered
- Take Action: Help protect Valdivian Rainforest in Chile
- REVEL Wrap-up
- November 2nd - Vote Your Values
October / 2004
www.ran.org
_______________________________________________
New Breed of Activism Born in Weyerhaeuser Clearcut
Hundreds gather in Canada for largest forest protection action since Clayoquot Sound blockades
(www.treeoflifecelebration.org)
Last weekend on Vancouver Island, more than 500 citizens of British Columbia came together for a musical uprising to bear witness to one of thousands of Canadian clearcuts by US-based logging giant Weyerhaeuser, the number one destroyer of old growth forests in North America. The RAN-sponsored event was the largest forest protection gathering since the Clayoquot Sound Blockades and the largest ever in the Upper Walbran Valley.
While people from all walks of life raised their voices in song celebrating humanity's universal spiritual connection with Earth's ancient forests, aerial artist John Quiqley (www.spectralq.com) shaped the chorus into 60,000-square foot living human sculpture calling on companies like Weyerhaeuser to "wake up" and end destructive forestry by protecting all remaining old growth. The "Tree of Life Celebration: A Global Call For Endangered Forest Protection" was the first in a new series of Spectral Q 'extreme art' actions that will bear witness to falling forests, melting glaciers, polluted air and other warning signs of an endangered planet.
"Weyerhaeuser is turning beautiful British Columbia into a scarred landscape," stated Brant Olson, director of The Old Growth Campaign at RAN. "On Saturday, we came together to bear witness to what Weyerhaeuser calls 'variable retention,' industry greenwashing for virtually clearcut. With logging rights to almost half of Vancouver Island and an increasing percentage of the Boreal, Weyerhaeuser has colonized many of Canada's last pristine old growth forests and is leveling them one cut block at a time. Old growth forests are the ecological cornerstone of a stable climate and essential providers of fresh air and pure water. It is time for Weyerhaeuser to wake up, end its destructive practices and protect old growth forests worldwide."
The Tree of Life Celebration was produced with the support of the Gettin' Higher Choir, Earthdance, Rainforest Action Network, Spectral Q and the Western Canada Wilderness Committee.
Click here to visit our online Action center and send a message to Weyerhaeuser CEO Steve Rogel urging him to protect BC's Walbran Valley and old-growth forests around the world
(http://action.ran.org/ctt.asp?u=2844473&l=63146)
__________________________________________________________________
RAN, Home Depot, and Lowe's assist in Declaring Ramin Endangered
The continued destruction of endangered forests throughout Indonesia and Malaysia has pushed threatened tree species such as ramin to the brink of extinction. The lowland ramin forests that provide critical habitat for orangutans and Sumatran tigers have long been the target of an illegal logging trade which has been used to convert the high-value tree species into home furnishings such as window blinds and baby cribs to broomsticks, dowels, and cuesticks.
RAN Board Member Pam Wellner and Implementation Coordinator Greg Hile worked closely with Home Depot and Lowe's to support a proposal placing ramin on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (http://action.ran.org/ctt.asp?u=2844473&l=63129 ) (CITES) Appendix II list of endangered species. The incredible combination of grassroots and retail market pressure proved to be a vital success when the parties to CITES voted to list ramin as endangered, and placed immediate restrictions on the import and export of ramin from destructive and illegal logging. The victory further defined Home Depot and Lowe's commitments to work with RAN to protect endangered forests around the world.
________________________________________________________________
Action Alert: Chilean President backslides on promise to protect pristine Valdivian Rainforest
The Valdivian Rainforest is the world's second-largest expanse of remaining temperate rainforest. Located along the coastal rim of southern Chile, the Valdivian rainforest contains some of the world's oldest living trees as well as the world famous Alerce trees, which are often referred to as the "Chilean redwood."
In January of 2003, (http://action.ran.org/ctt.asp?u=2844473&l=63130) after pressure brought by the Coastal Range Coalition, the government of Chile agreed to create protected areas along the Coastal Range and reroute a proposed road that would connect the outlying cities of Valdivia and Puerto Mount. The proposed road threatened to fragment this ancient rainforest, while facilitating the conversion of the biologically-diverse forest into eucalyptus and pine plantations.
Now, it appears the Chilean government is backsliding on their promises by resuming construction of the highway cutting through the heart of this pristine rainforest.
Take Action Today: Click here to visit our online action center and send an email to Chilean President Ricardo Lagos Escobar urging him to make good on his promise to protect the Valdivian Rainforest
(http://action.ran.org/ctt.asp?u=2844473&l=63147)
_______________________________________________________________
REVEL Wrap-up 2004
REVEL, Rainforest Action Network's 10th Annual Awards Dinner, was a complete success! Over 400 REVELers celebrated our recent campaign accomplishments and honored our awardees - Jodie Evans (www.codepink4peace.org) and Ross Gelbspan (www.heatisonline.org/main.cfm) two very inspiring individuals. A surprise $100,000 grant announcement from the Rudolf Steiner Foundation added to the evening's flare. The Rudolf Steiner Foundation (http://action.ran.org/ctt.asp?u=2844473&l=63136) is a non-profit financial service organization whose mission is to create social benefit through innovative approaches to working with money that reflect the highest aspirations of the human spirit. Through their Community Investment Fund and Philanthropic Management tools, investors and donors can transform their values and intentions into action by directly supporting socially-constructive projects.
______________________________________________________________
November 2nd - Vote Your Values
(http://action.ran.org/ctt.asp?u=2844473&l=63144)
Raise your voice
We have the right to remain silent. We have a responsibility to speak out.
A healthy democracy requires engaged citizens. Engaged citizens participate by making their voices heard. Register your voice, go to the polls.
Vote your values. Vote for the forests.
Vote on November 2nd.
Click here to learn more about how to get involved and stay informed about the upcoming election (http://action.ran.org/ctt.asp?u=2844473&l=63142)
Click here to register to Vote! (http://action.ran.org/ctt.asp?u=2844473&l=63143)
_____________________________________________________________
Sustain our Campaigns
Donate to RAN Today:
(http://action.ran.org/ctt.asp?u=2844473&l=63148)
Dollar for dollar, RAN is one of the most effective and efficient environmental groups campaigning for a sustainable future. You can help us keep our overhead under budget by making your contribution online and inviting your friends to support our global community of environmental patriots. Your support makes the difference!
++++++++++++++++++++++
To unsubscribe send an email to "rainforest@action.ran.org" with only the word "REMOVE" in the subject line of your e-mail, or visit http://action.ran.org/unsubscribe/index.asp and follow the instructions listed there.