ForestEthics : Protect Forests and Our Climate

Huffington Post -- Subsidizing Junk Mail in the Great Recession

Fri, 29 Jan 2010

REPORT: A New Climate for Conservation

Thu, 28 Jan 2010

Download the full report as a .pdf here >>

Humanity faces two urgent and related challenges: the rapidly escalating loss of biodiversity and the predicted impacts of global climate change. This new report by senior scientist Dr. Jim Pojar identifies a comprehensive solution to both of these threats: a biodiversity and climate action strategy to help prevent the release of greenhouse gases, to ensure sufficient intact habitats to support healthy numbers of wild species, and to help plants and animals adapt to climate change impacts. This strategy should be anchored by a policy of maintaining intact forest ecosystems such that approximately 50% of B.C.�s land base is managed with conservation as the priority goal.

Global climate change is already having an impact in British Columbia and these effects will escalate in the coming decades. Annual temperatures are generally expected to increase by an average of 3 to 5�C. Winters are expected to be warmer and wetter, while summers will be wetter in the north and drier in the south of the province.

The most effective response to these changes is to preserve intact, functional ecosystems. Natural ecosystems are innately more resilient to the impacts of climate change than are fragmented, disturbed or degraded ecosystems. Intact systems are better able to regenerate after disturbances, to resist or recover from outbreaks of pests or diseases and to adapt to changes in temperature and available water supply. (Continued below media kit...)

A New Climate for Conservation Media Kit

Click here to download the full report as a .pdf >>

If you have Flash installed, click here to view the full report online >>

Click here to download the executive summary of the report as a .pdf >>

Click here to read the press release >>

Click here to download the media backgrounder as a .pdf >>

Click here to download the endorsed letter to B.C. >>

(...Continued from above media kit)

Intact, connected natural landscapes also help to pave the way for adaptation to occur by making it possible for plant and animal species to move to more hospitable habitats.

Further, intact ecosystems, especially forests and their soils, capture and store carbon dioxide. An estimated 18 billion tones of C02 are stored in B.C.�s forests. Deforestation releases carbon dioxide. Logging discharges more C02 into the atmosphere than any other single activity in B.C. Avoided deforestation thus prevents increased greenhouse gas emissions. Restoration of deforested landscapes can increase the capacity for carbon capture and storage and needs to be pursued with increased vigour in the province.

Finally and importantly, human well being depends on the vital, life-supporting goods and services (e.g., clean air, clean water, productive soils, soil and water conservation, flood control and many other benefits) inherent in natural ecosystems.

There are economic benefits to this strategy. Pilot projects in California are generating revenues from the sale of carbon credits for improved forest management and avoided deforestation.

Existing parks and protected areas will be the �arks� of survival and recovery for B.C.�s variety of wild species. However, they are not large or numerous enough to do the job on their own. B.C.�s system of conservation lands needs to be significantly enhanced by new conservation land use designations that make the protection of intact ecosystems a priority.

Download the full report as a .pdf >>

Or, if you have Flash installed, view it online >>

More good news for the Do Not Mail campaign

Tue, 26 Jan 2010

Great news in the fight to regain control of our mailboxes: the Seattle City Council just passed a resolution calling for a Do Not Mail registry in the state of Washington! Thanks to the tireless work of ForestEthics supporters like you across the country, we're making real headway in the campaign to reclaim our mailboxes, our privacy, and our forests.

Check out this brief online video we made about the victory:

Seattle media outlets have taken notice of our efforts:

First off, check out some of the news leading up to the Seattle City Council vote: watch this video clip from Seattle King 5 News, check out this post from Seattlite blog The SunBreak, and listen to this report from KPLU, Seattle's local National Public Radio station.

After we won, local Seattle news continued to focus on the story: read this punchy post from Seattle's weekly, The Stranger, and check out some more of the media hits from local blogs and news portals such as Seattlest, Investigate West, Catalog Choice's Paperless Blog, and Kiro Radio. And, if you want to see a great example of lazy journalism in the age of outmoded mainstream press, check out this piece from Seattle Times in which the author asserts that "The environmental community supported the resolution because of all the extra trash created by unwanted mail." Sorry Times, but trash alone, albeit a major issue in the "environmental community," hardly encompasses the wide range of environmental issues that are caused by the production, distribution, and disposal of junk mail. Perhaps an interview with a representative from this community could have elucidated on this myriad of issues? Oh, and yes, we are also quite simply annoyed by it and concerned about our privacy � just like most Americans.

Want to pass a resolution in your city? Download the toolkit to get started today!

Junk mailers have taken notice of our efforts:

In December 2009, we released our annual junk mail scorecard and saw three top junk mailers -- American Express, Chase and Capital One -- respond to the pressure that supporters like you are helping to build. Previously, these companies refused to even talk to us about their junk mail habits, but your Return to Offender actions got them talking. Now, we are committed to keeping their feet to the fire until they reform their wasteful practices.

Want to get more involved in exposing the destructive paper practices of major junk mailers? Learn about the upcoming Do Not Mail Campaign Video Project and start submitting your footage today >>

SEATTLE PASSES �DO NOT MAIL� JUNK MAIL RESOLUTION

Mon, 25 Jan 2010

* High Resolution Photos and B-Roll Available

SEATTLE - Today, the Seattle City Council passed a resolution calling on the state of Washington to create a Do Not Mail Registry giving its citizens the choice to stop receiving unwanted junk mail.

Introduced by City Council President Richard Conlin, the Council approved the resolution by an 8-1 vote.

The non-binding resolution follows a similar resolution passed in San Francisco and suggests that American lawmakers are becoming more assertive in representing Americans on consumer and environmental issues. According to a 2007 Zogby poll, 89% of Americans support the creation of a Do Not Mail Registry.

"Seattle once again finds itself at the forefront of efforts to apply common sense to the concerns of ordinary citizens in the 21st Century," said ForestEthics Executive Director Todd Paglia. "Americans seem to agree on less and less, but almost all of us want to stop junk mail. With this vote, Seattle is standing up for its citizens, for environmental protection, and for forests."

The resolution contains a provision directing the Seattle Public Utility to evaluate all existing junk mail opt-out services so that the city can promote the most effective one. The SPU's findings will be reported by June 30, 2010, and will help consumers nationwide make sense of an increasingly crowded-and not always well-intentioned-junk mail "reduction" scene.

A Do Not Mail Registry, similar to the 2003 Do Not Call Registry that gave citizens the choice not to receive telemarketing calls, would allow citizens to opt out of commercial junk mail. Though the direct mail industry has opposed similar legislation in the past by characterizing Do Not Mail as a "ban" on junk mail, a registry would allow Americans to continue to receive direct mail if they so choose.

Bills calling for Do Not Mail registries have been defeated in more than 20 states due to pressure from the junk mail industry and the US Postal Service.

Every year 100 million trees are logged to produce the 100 billion pieces of junk mail Americans receive. Junk mail's production generates the carbon emissions of more than 9 million cars. U.S. junk mail accounts for 30% of all the mail delivered in the world, though 44% of it goes to landfills unopened.

In an interview given Sunday to Seattle NPR affiliate KPLU, Conlin discussed the cost benefits of the resolution: "From the city's perspective, it becomes garbage that we have to dispose of, and we have to pay for disposing of it. And even if it's recycled, recycling still isn't as good as not having it in the waste stream at all."

More than 110,000 Americans have signed ForestEthics' petition at donotmail.org calling for the creation of a national Do Not Mail Registry.

ForestEthics' 4th annual Naughty/Nice List: A scorecard on the catalog and direct mail industry

Mon, 07 Dec 2009

This holiday season, the catalog and direct mail industry is showing strong trends toward �greener� forest and paper policies despite several laggards playing �grinch� according to our 4th annual Naughty/Nice List: a scorecard on the catalog & direct mail industry.

Download the .pdf of the scorecard >>

Receiving holiday-themed scores of Naughty, Nice, or Checking Twice, 21 companies, including companies in the financial sector, were evaluated according to four criteria: whether or not Endangered Forests are cut to produce the company�s catalogs; whether the company uses Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified paper; the amount of post-consumer recycled content in the company�s direct mailings; and the company�s efforts to reduce overall paper consumption.

Download the .pdf of the scorecard >>

Or, you can view it below if you have Flash installed in your browser:

Moms against climate change video featured in The Vancouver Sun

Mon, 16 Nov 2009

The following is an excerpt from an article which appears in The Vancouver Sun, written by Barbara Yaffe:

"Environmentalists are turning up heat on Canadian politicians heading to a Dec. 6 climate change conference in Copenhagen -- by targeting moms.

The new campaign, Moms Against Climate Change, features a gut-punching staged video, filmed in Toronto.

It shows masses of youngsters protesting against climate change, beaten back by burly baton-wielding riot police.

It also features a website (takeactiononclimatechange.com), inviting parents to post their kids' photos on a virtual wall, asking: "If our children knew the facts we do, they'd take action. Shouldn't you?"

Once the climate change conference gets under way in two weeks, the activists intend to project the photo images on walls near the Copenhagen proceedings and Parliament Hill."

Read the full article >>

View the video PSA:

ForestEthics exposes SFI Greenwash at Greenbuild 2009

Fri, 13 Nov 2009

Click on image to enlarge.

Shaking things up at the conference

In his keynote address on the opening day of Greenbuild, the world�s largest green building conference, Al Gore exhorted the audience to be vigilant against the deceptive practice of �Greenwash.�

We agree. At this year�s Greenbuild, ForestEthics called Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) on its greenwash. The morning after the speech, ForestEthics released a large floating banner announcing to the crowd of 25,000 �SFI= Green~~build~~wash." The banner hovered directly over the Sustainable Forestry Initiative�s booth, providing a necessary rejoinder to the �sustainable� talk being peddled below.

Watch a slideshow of our various activities at Greenbuild below and read the press release here >>

Our ad in USA Today

Simultaneously, we launched an ad in the USA Today, also spotlighting the greenwashing practices of SFI. The ad copy reads:

"With views like this, some window companies have no business at Greenbuild.

You're only as green as the companies you keep. And while Andersen Windows, Kolbe Windows & Doors, and Jeld-Wen are in Phoenix this for Greenbuild, the world's largest green building conference, they're doing business with some decidedly ungreen characters. Names like Sierra Pacific Industries, whose name belies its greenwashing practice of certifying "destruction as usual" logging.

If these window companies really want to be considered green, they ought to reconsider the crowd they're running with. Until then, they have no business running with the crowd at Greenbuild."

Click on the ad to view a larger version, and tell these windows companies to green up their act and save the Sierra >>

Phony Forest Protection Program Exposed at World�s Largest Green Building Conference

Thu, 12 Nov 2009

Click here to view a larger version this ad.

Greenwashing by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) was an unexpected addition to the agenda at this year�s Greenbuild�the world�s largest green building conference�in Phoenix, Arizona. Today�the day after keynote speaker Al Gore exhorted Greenbuild to call out greenwashing�ForestEthics released a large floating banner exposing SFI as a greenwasher.

On the conference�s opening day, ForestEthics ran an ad in USA Today�s Phoenix edition spotlighting SFI�s �greenwashing practice� of certifying forest destruction as �sustainable�. Copies of this ad and a brochure detailing SFI�s shortcomings circulated throughout the massive conference�with an estimated attendance of 25,000 people.

The ad targeted three prominent window companies for their ties to SFI, as well as to �notorious� California clearcutter Sierra Pacific Industries.

Learn more about the ad and the banner here >>
(PDFs of the Ad & Photos of the Floating Banner available on request

These actions add powerful visual elements to a campaign that began in September when ForestEthics filed legal complaints with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that became the focus of an article in the New York Times on September 12.

In its FTC complaint, ForestEthics described how SFI, funded and managed primarily by large logging companies, gives its seal of approval to the logging practices of these same companies that harm people and wildlife, damage water resources and destroy forests.

In October, the Sierra Club also filed a complaint with SFI, presenting scientific evidence that SFI certified logging by Weyerhaeuser on extremely steep and unstable mountainsides in SW Washington despite publicly available evidence that these mountainsides were prone to landslides. In a major regional rainstorm in December 2007,massive landslides did occur on logging sites certified by SFI as sustainable, producing downstream logjams and record flooding. The report submitted to the IRS focused on SFI's nonprofit status, as SFI�s funding and activities serve the private interests of wood and paper companies that want a 'green' image. This is not a proper purpose for an organization with the same nonprofit status that the IRS gives to public charities.

Globe and Mail -- Climate Change Kids

Sat, 31 Oct 2009

We have a confession to make: Some of our favourite ads are advocacy spots. And we don't care if that makes us bleeding-heart geeks. Environmental Defence and ForestEthics are rolling out a new campaign today, launching something called Moms Against Climate Change to raise awareness of the upcoming Copenhagen conference.

Canadians Take a Stand Against Global Warming with Moms Against Climate Change

Fri, 30 Oct 2009

TORONTO (Oct. 30, 2009) - Environmental Defence Canada and ForestEthics, two of Canada's most active environmental groups, have partnered to launch Moms Against Climate Change, a campaign to demand change at the United Nations Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen this December. The initiative is supported by a powerful marketing campaign created by communications company zig, which includes a robust web site and television and online public service announcements.

"If we are going to get the action we need from our government in Ottawa, we need Canadians to start feeling global warming as an emotional, personal issue, and not just an intellectual one. This is what we asked zig to help us do," said Dr. Rick Smith, Executive Director, Environmental Defence Canada.

"Moms across Canada care passionately about their children, children who are set to inherit the worst impacts of climate change," said Gillian McEachern of ForestEthics. "When moms use their voting power for stronger climate laws, they become a force government has to listen to."

Moms Against Climate Change presents global warming in a compelling and relevant way, to reach beyond the scientific audience and speak directly to parents, to their emotions and their fundamental desire to protect their children. The initiative empowers parents by giving them the chance to make their children proud. The message is simple: tell our leaders to take tough action on global warming now.

The PSA "Demonstration", which will air on television and can be viewed below, serves as the emotional catalyst of the campaign. The PSA can be viewed at the following link as well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwrrikNeFZg. A call to action at the end of the film drives viewers to TakeActionOnClimateChange.com, the official web site for Moms Against Climate Change, which is rich with digestible, practical information about the impact of global warming, what it means for the current generation of children, and the steps that the average Canadian can take to influence change. The web site also allows parents to upload photos of their children, which will be added to a projection that will appear near Parliament Hill in Ottawa to remind Prime Minister Stephen Harper who he's representing in Copenhagen this December.

"This issue is one that could affect future generations profoundly, yet it doesn't currently factor into the steps parents take to prepare their kids for the future. Moms fret about school choices, extra-curricular activities and health, yet they may not think about doing something to safeguard the world their kids will inherit," said Lorraine Tao, zig partner + copywriter. "History has taught us that when people are wronged, they do something about it. We bring that idea to life visually in the short film creative, but also in a more actionable sense by offering parents the opportunity to add to the projection and show Prime Minister Harper that Canadians demand bold action in Copenhagen."

The entire Moms Against Climate Change project was produced pro-bono, from agency involvement to talent and music. Popular indie pop group Stars provided the soundtrack, and more than 100 child actors volunteered for the film shoot in downtown Toronto.

###

About Environmental Defence

Founded in 1984, Environmental Defence is a Canadian environmental charity that protects the environment and human health. We research solutions. We educate. We go to court when we have to. All in order to ensure clean air, clean water and thriving ecosystems nationwide, and to bring a halt to Canada's contribution to climate change. (www.environmentaldefence.ca)

About ForestEthics

ForestEthics exists to protect Endangered Forests, wild places, wildlife, and human wellbeing. Our innovative, inspiring and effective campaigns challenge corporations and catalyze environmental leadership in industry, governments and communities. Our work creates solutions that last for generations to come and emphasizes addressing climate change, which compromises all of our efforts if left unchecked. (www.forestethics.org)

About zig
zig is a communications company within the MDC Partners network that creates ideas in their most powerful form. Since its inception in 1999 in Toronto, zig has earned a reputation as one of the leading ideas companies in Canada, which led to the opening of its first United States office in 2006. The agency works with respected brands including Molson, Virgin Mobile, IKEA, Best Buy, Unilever, Pfizer and Microsoft. Zig has earned numerous awards and recognition for their work from the Cannes Lions, The One Show, Clio Awards, Art Directors Club, Communication Arts and others. For more information, visit www.zigideas.com.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

Credits for the campaign are as follows:

Client: Environmental Defence Canada, ForestEthics

Brand: Moms Against Climate Change (Environmental Defence Canada & ForestEthics)

Executive Creative Director: Martin Beauvais

Art Director: Briony Wilson

Copywriter: Lorraine Tao

Planner: Mark Aronson

Project Manager: Naomi Olsen

Agency Producer: Karen Blazer

Producer: Tara Handley

Executive Producer: Geoff Cornish, Michi Lepik-Stahl

Production House: Suneeva

Director: Shelley Lewis

Editing House: Relish Editing

Editor: Antti Kulmala

Photographer: Eden Robbins

Music Company: RMW Music

Phony Forest Protection Scheme Tied to Massive Landslides

Fri, 23 Oct 2009

Greenwashing by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) led to devastating landslides, according to a Sierra Club complaint filed against Weyerhaeuser and made public today. Prepared by the Washington Forest Law Center in Seattle, the complaint presents scientific evidence that SFI certified Weyerhaeuser�s logging on extremely steep and unstable mountainsides in SW Washington despite publicly available evidence that these mountainsides were prone to landslides.

The Sierra Club complaint, filed with SFI, comes only weeks after ForestEthics took action against SFI with the Federal Trade Commission and the Internal Revenue Service. The ForestEthics actions were covered by the New York Times on September 12. The group alleges that SFI is a timber industry-funded and -operated forest certification system whose nonprofit status violates IRS rules and whose advertising is deceptive and misleading according to FTC regulations.

�These disastrous landslides are bright red flags warning us of the harm that comes from SFI�s greenwashing,� said Aaron Sanger of ForestEthics. �By certifying these reckless practices, SFI promoted Weyerhaeuser�s private interests, but the people of Washington paid the price.�

Weyerhaeuser�s SFI-certified steep-slope logging triggered massive landslides, which in turn produced downstream log-jams and exacerbated flooding in a major regional rainstorm in December 2007.

In its FTC complaint filed in September, ForestEthics described how SFI, funded and managed primarily by large logging companies, gives its seal of approval to the logging practices of these same companies that harm people and wildlife, damage water resources and destroy forests.

The report submitted to the IRS focuses on SFI's funding and activities that serve the private interests of wood and paper companies that want a 'green' image. This is not a proper purpose for an organization with the same nonprofit status that the IRS gives to public charities.

Holy Ship Radio Ad

Mon, 12 Oct 2009

Watch Tzeporah Berman and ForestEthics' work featured on Get Involved

12 Fortune 500 Companies Called Out for Dirty Tar Sands Oil Habits

Wed, 30 Sep 2009

Hi-Resolution Photos and Broll available upon request

In July, ForestEthics sent letters to over 100 Fortune 500 companies, warning that use of transportation fuels from Canada's Tar Sands puts their brands at risk, and offering the group's expertise in avoiding such fuels.

Today, ForestEthics released a list of 12 companies-a 'Dirty Dozen'-that have so far refused to engage in discussions about their transportation fuels, carbon footprints, and the brand risk posed by the controversial Canadian Tar Sands. As stated in the July letter, a public campaign could be launched against any company that does not act to eliminate from their operations high carbon fuels such as those from the Tar Sands.

The Fortune 500 'Dirty Dozen': 7-Eleven, Coca-Cola, HJ Heinz, Hershey's, Kraft Foods, Kroger, Levi Strauss, The Pantry, Sara Lee, Supervalu, SYSCO, and Whole Foods.

"These companies represent US market sectors with high demand for transportation fuels, which increasingly come from toxic and carbon-intensive sources like the Tar Sands," said Aaron Sanger, Senior US Energy Campaigner with ForestEthics. "The companies on this list have the power to change the way America uses transportation fuel, but despite efforts to present themselves as 'green', they appear uninterested in reducing carbon pollution in their large and growing transportation footprints."

A number of Fortune 500 companies have already engaged ForestEthics in preliminary discussions about transportation fuels and their supply chains' dependence on fuel derived from the Tar Sands. In an Op-Ed published on September 17 in the Boston Globe, Sanger and noted climate scientist Dr. James Hansen outlined how the market can be used to address both the Tar Sands and climate change: "There are rumblings in corporate America that companies must find a way to divest themselves of the Tar Sands problem. Don't be surprised if they outhustle our elected officials[.]"

Tar Sands oil production generates 3-5 times the greenhouse gas emissions of conventional oil; production of Tar Sands oil destroys fresh drinking water, pollutes the air, and destroys Alberta's boreal forests. Communities downstream of Tar Sands projects are facing elevated levels of cancer. Tar Sands sludge, extracted primarily in the province of Alberta, cannot be made clean by technological solutions.

In addition to requesting that companies exclude Tar Sands-derived fuels from their supply chains, they have also been asked to invest in cleaner sources of fuel, oppose government policies that encourage 'dirty fuels' like those from the Tar Sands, and support government policies which help shift the transportation sector toward cleaner energy.

"There are important efforts afoot to reshape and reduce the carbon footprints of America's electrical grid, buildings, and air travel," said Merran Smith, climate program director with ForestEthics. "But so far, no one has focused on the area where corporate carbon footprints are growing rapidly due to Tar Sands oil: commercial ground transportation."

Last week, the International Air Transport Association announced plans to halve its emissions by 2050, and a group of the world's largest global investors, who collectively manage more than $13 trillion in assets, urged global policy makers to take strong action in the fight against climate change.

Tar Sands op-eds run in Canada and US

Wed, 16 Sep 2009

As Canadian Prime Minister came to visit Obama on September 16, 2009 we landed op-eds on both sides of the border. Co-written with renowned climatologist, James Hansen, we expose Canada's dirty Tar Sands in the Boston Globe and the Toronto Star.

Boston Globe -- Using the market to tackle climate change
Read the full Boston Globe article here >>

By James Hansen and Aaron Sanger

IT HAS become clear that the full changes America needs will not be solved by simply swapping White House tenants. In fact, this has been emphasized by the new tenant himself: we can�t stand on the sidelines and expect to realize the full change we need. And the change we most urgently need is the one that government is least able to tackle alone: the climate crisis. The US government has so far produced only a counterfeit proposal for responding to climate change. As fossil fuels� day in the sun approaches dusk, the main sources driving continued greenhouse gas emissions are growing hungrier.

Witness the rise of Canada�s Tar Sands oil developments. The Tar Sands represent the end of easy oil. This is the hard stuff: oil mixed deep into a sandy soil. The process of extracting it, refining it, and shipping it adds up to an oil dirtier, more polluting, and more harmful to our climate than all the oil that has gotten us into this mess. Global-warming emissions from Tar Sands oil production are three to five times greater than from conventional crude production...

Read the full Boston Globe article here >>

Toronto Star -- No special treatment for tar sands
Read the full Toronto Star article here >>

By James Hansen

In 1988, when I addressed the U.S. Congress on the dangers of global warming, I warned leaders that it was time to stop waffling. Humans were changing the climate in new and dangerous ways and we needed to take action. At the time, I knew we could expect stiff resistance from the usual suspects, but if you had told me that 20 years later, one of the most stubborn holdouts would be a self-interested Canada, I wouldn't have believed you.

That's because then, as now, Canadians are a compassionate people, concerned about the environment and the role their government plays on the international stage. And yet, there are few countries I can think of that have done more to undermine international efforts to fight climate change in recent years, than Canada...

Read the full Toronto Star article here >>