ALERT! Please Encourage Rainforest Action Network?s New Leader to Work to End Primary Forest Logging
Sadly and Shockingly, Rainforest Action Network is one of the primary, crucial supporters of continued primary forest logging. Let them know they must resign from FSC and commit to ending primary forest logging.
Rainforest Action Network (RAN) has a much needed new Executive Director ? Rebecca Tarbotton. For almost two years Ecological Internet has worked to get the once luminary old-growth protection organization to stop supporting Forest Stewardship Council?s (FSC) certification of industrial 1st time logging of 500 year trees in millions of year old primary forest as ?well-managed? ? while implying sustainability ? for throw away consumer products like toilet paper, paper and lawn furniture. RAN co-founded FSC and is a long-time staunch member. Getting major forest protection organizations like RAN and Greenpeace to resign from FSC is a necessary first step before ? together ? we can campaign to end primary forest logging as a keystone response to global ecological sustainability.
Using the only publicly available information, EI estimates some 120 million hectares of primary forests ? an area two times the size of Texas and about 60% of FSC?s timber ? have been logged for the first time or are threatened by first time industrial logging with FSC certification and RAN?s support. To date RAN has not been very responsive, and we ask that you contact Ms. Tarbotton to congratulate her on the position and respectfully ask that RAN reexamine their support of FSC and commit to working to end primary forest logging. You may want to note:
* Ecological science indicates Earth has lost more intact terrestrial ecosystems including primary forests than are necessary to maintain a workable biosphere long-term. And the protection and restoration of old forests is a keystone response to both the climate and biodiversity crises.
* That in Nov. 2008 RAN committed to reviewing their FSC membership, a promise that has never been kept.
* Ecological Internet is willing to debate on the important forest policy of whether primary forest must end at anytime, anyplace; but have thus far been stonewalled.
* We demand that RAN resign from FSC and commit to working to end industrial primary forest logging entirely.
* Just recently the Swedish Society for the Conservation of Nature ? Sweden?s largest environmental group ? resigned from FSC over similar concerns.
* You may also choose to ?like? EI?s earlier posting as a sign of support.
Just a simple posting like ?Congrats! Please leave FSC? or ?Please get RAN out of primary forest logging? is fine. This method of campaigning has been used by Greenpeace against Nestle and it proved very effective. This is very important for Earth?s old forests and sustainability, so please do it now. Our posting? as well as links to past alerts and writings on the matter ? are available below as an example.
Dr. Glen Barry
P.S. You are encouraged to also contact RAN on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ran -
on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/rainforestactionnetwork - and by email at answers@ran.org - and make the same points.
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EI?s SAMPLE MESSAGE
Congrats!
Myself, Ecological Internet and our tens of thousands of supporters globally are looking to you for leadership in ending primary forest logging. To this end we very much hope you will dialogue with opponents of Forest Stewardship Council. You or a staff designee are challenged to a debate anytime, anywhere on the matter. We look forward to hearing how you can justify logging 500 year old trees across an area two times the size of Texas with RAN's blessing. If you dispute these figures, as a FSC member we look forward to seeing how much you think FSC depends upon primary forest logging. Clearly you must have access to such information!? Our demand is that RAN resign from FSC immediately, and you will continue to face legitimate criticism and protest until you do.
Regards,
Dr. Glen Barry
P.S. Please have RAN stop censoring debate on this matter and remove blocks to posting on your org's FB and blog. You can begin to show your commitment to respectful dialogue over a major policy issue - whether primary forests should continue to be logged or not - by not removing this post or blocking me as has been the norm in the past.
OTHER RESOURCES FOR CRAFTING YOUR MESSAGE:
RELEASE: Rainforest Action Network Expands Misleading Greenwashing of Primary Forest Logging
http://www.rainforestportal.org/issues/2010/06/release_rainforest_action_netw.asp
FB ALERT & RELEASE: Protest Greenpeace and Rainforest Action Network?s Censoring of Facebook Criticism of Their Support for Primary Forest Logging
http://www.rainforestportal.org/issues/2010/03/fb_alert_release_protest_green.asp
EARTH MEANDERS: The Rainforest Movement Is Dead? Long Live the Old Forest Revolution
http://www.rainforestportal.org/issues/2010/02/the_rainforest_movement_is_dea.asp
RELEASE: Global Campaign to Protect and Restore Old Forests Gaining Traction
http://www.rainforestportal.org/issues/2010/02/campaigns_to_end_industrial_pr.asp
ALERT! More Old Forests, Less Industrial Agriculture, Key to Climate, Food and Water
http://www.climateark.org/blog/2009/12/alert-more-old-forests-less-in.asp
ALERT! No to Copenhagen 'Carbon Logging': GOOD REDD Fully Protects and Restores Old Forests as a Global Climatic Imperative
http://www.climateark.org/blog/2009/11/by-ecological-internets-climat.asp
RELEASE: deRANged II The Sequel -- Rainforest Action Network Endangers World's Rainforests
http://www.rainforestportal.org/issues/2009/09/release_deranged_ii_the_sequel.asp
New York City Activists Unfurl 35-foot Banner on High Line to Protest Park's Use of FSC-Certified Amazon Wood
http://www.rainforestportal.org/issues/2009/09/new_york_city_activists_unfurl.asp
RELEASE: "Good REDD" Fully Protects and Restores Old Forest Carbon and Local Livelihoods
http://www.rainforestportal.org/issues/2009/08/release_good_redd_fully_protec.asp
ALERT! Tell Greenpeace: Toilet Paper Consumption from Canada's Ancient Boreal Forests Must End
http://forests.org/shared/alerts/send.aspx?id=gp_ancient_forests
EARTH MEANDERS: Old Forests, REDD Rage and Earth Revolution
http://www.ecoearth.info/blog/2009/06/old_forests_redd_rage_and_eart.asp
VICTORY/RELEASE: Global Consensus Emerging Regarding Need to End Industrial Primary Forest Logging as Keystone Climate Change Response
http://forests.org/blog/2009/06/victoryrelease-global-consensu.asp
REDD Must Only Support Willing Protection of Old Forests
http://www.rainforestportal.org/issues/2009/04/redd_must_only_support_willing.asp
Keeping Old Forests Intact and Unfragmented Key to Minimizing Climate Change
http://www.rainforestportal.org/issues/2009/03/keeping_old_forests_intact_and.asp
RELEASE: Ancient Forests Absorb 20% of Human's Carbon, Logging and Other Industrial Destruction of Old Forests Must Stop Now
http://www.rainforestportal.org/issues/2009/02/release_ancient_forests_absorb.asp
EARTH MEANDERS: Light REDD: The Looming Tragedy of Carbon Markets Paying to Destroy Ancient Forests
http://www.climateark.org/blog/2008/12/light-redd-the-looming-tragedy.asp
Ecological Internet's Campaign to End Ancient Forest Logging Gaining Support
http://www.rainforestportal.org/issues/2008/12/ecological_internets_campaign.asp
Greenpeace Reaffirms Support for Ancient Forest Logging
http://www.rainforestportal.org/issues/2008/11/greenpeace_reaffirms_support_f.asp
RELEASE: Ancient Forest Victory, as Rainforest Action Network Yields, Commits to Review FSC Support
http://www.rainforestportal.org/issues/2008/10/release_ancient_forest_victory.asp
RELEASE: Ancient Forest Logging is deRANged
http://www.rainforestportal.org/issues/2008/10/release_ancient_forest_logging.asp
ALERT: As Rainforest Action Network Prepares to "Revel", What Has Become of Their Old Growth Forest Campaign?
http://www.rainforestportal.org/issues/2008/09/alert_as_rainforest_action_net.asp
DISCUSS THIS ALERT:
http://www.rainforestportal.org/issues/
http://www.facebook.com/ecointernet
Comments
PLEASE YOU MUST RESIGN from FSC and commit to ending primary forest logging.
Posted by: eva | August 4, 2010 11:38 AM
I support the efforts of the Ecological Internet and similar organisations to protect old growth forests for obvious conservation reasons.
I would ask that RAN does not remain a member of FSC and come aboard the protest against the further destruction of the old forests of the Earth.
Posted by: Mr Greer Hart | August 4, 2010 12:36 PM
Dear Rebecca Tarbotton
I hope you are happy about the new responsability and the new position your self! I wish you the best of luck and we will all be behind you when you fight against ancient forest logging and when you talk against FSC and cheer when you purpose better REDD agrements for the holders af our prestine resources on our planet. And we will support you when you live up to the expectations of the people that know you - and fight for the life of our Earth!
Green greetings and lots of hope!
Posted by: Lars Skaarup Mainz | August 4, 2010 6:36 PM
I support RAN for leaving FSC.
Posted by: sun wang | August 4, 2010 6:49 PM
Attention: R. Tarbotton.
Congratulations are your new appointment. We all wish you the best of luck.
As an avid conservationalist and ecologist, I ask that you do everything in your power and influence to protect the integrity of that which you have been appointed. Please re-evaluate membership and motives of those involved and seriously consider removing those who are not acting in the best interest of the public good.
We must preserve and maintain the ecological and biological balance of the planet upon we all reside and look to people such as yourself to act in proper stewardship of the position you have attained.
Best of luck and we'll be keeping a close eye on the proceedings in the coming weeks/months.
Regards,
Tim (water/land conservationalist)
Posted by: 55 gallon water barrel | August 6, 2010 2:59 PM
This short film on climate change illustrated the threats to animal habitats: Oh, g'day slb1107. Please find my shameless gag-peddling, danke: http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/e7162a6f7a/the-plight-of-the-polar-bear
Posted by: Jarrod | August 7, 2010 3:49 AM
Conserving old growth forest at any cost makes sense in more than one way. No more cutting down of heritage trees! Eva.
Posted by: Eva Schlottmann | August 8, 2010 10:03 PM
Dear Rebecca, Congratulations on your new job. I support worldwide efforts to end primary logging in 'virgin' rain-forests, which s continuing in the name odf 'sustainable forestry, which it patently is not. Unlike your predecessor , who did not, please could you please honour RAN's promise to review its membership of FSC, and if you care about the future of wild forests worldwide, reject FSC's curently scandalous position or by leaving in protest..
Posted by: Jon Capel | August 10, 2010 11:02 AM
Bonjour Citizen,
I received the announcement of the appointment of your new executive director Rebecca Tarbotton - with mixed emotions. You probably haven't noticed it but for a long time now I have not responded to actions you have taken, even though I have not "unsubscribed".
I am a revolutionary and, at the age of seventy -seven, since the age of twenty-two, when I discovered the kind of society (world-wide) we live in, I have spent my life educating myself and fighting through words and ideas against capitalism. Societies are formed by the collective ideas of its citizens and the only way to change a society is to change its ideas. One cannot kill an idea through the barrel of a gun.
I understand you probably have no idea what I am talking about since you accept this economic system as a natural expression of mankind's nature, just as feudal man, a serf for example, accepted his attachment to the lord's land and the labour he provided as the only way society could be constituted. As we changed the economic system from feudalism into capitalism we created the nation state to administer the economy in the interest of the rising owning class, labour (although cooperative) became wage labour and we held onto a hierarchical system of society in which the powerful and the state had the right to compel others to do as they were told. We were taught that competition was good and natural because the economic system required that we compete for food, clothing and shelter, while in essence we are a social cooperative species.
RAN purports to being an "ecological" organisation dedicated to ameliorate and save the planet. Instead of trying to change fundamental ideas you cooperate with the destroyers and rapists of the planet (for their profit) and even encourage the destruction of old growth forests through the FCA designation. Ecological Internet is right and that is when I ceased to trust you. RAN supports the destroyers.
I hope you now reconsider.
Yours to insight World insight, Trevor Goodger-Hill
Posted by: Trevor | August 24, 2010 11:27 AM